Parasha Devarim
Deuteronomy 1:1 –
3:23
Please pray this Prayer
Before reading.
In the name of Yahushua
Our Messiyah,
I pray for the Spirit of Understanding
The Spirit of Knowledge and
The Spirit of Wisdom
As I read through this Parasha
That the Light of Torah may
Revealed to me. Amen
The Shabbat of
Devarim is the 43rd Torah Portion, it is also known as “Shabbat
Chazon” or the Shabbat of vision it is one of the greatest Shabbat of the year.
There is no greater day for the Yisraelites than the day that the Temple
The Talmud teaches
that if a husband is going away on a long trip, he has to lie with his wife the
night before he leaves. Whenever there
is a separation, there has to be an equally great union.
On this this week,
both the temple in Jerusalem
Where there is a
great amount of darkness, there is also the possibility for a great amount of
light. The greatest revelation of the light of the Creator is Messiyah
Yahushua. This means that this Light is revealed completely only on the Shabbat
of Devarim.
One of the gifts of
this Shabbat of Devarim is that all of our spiritual strength can be double, as
Elisha ask Elijah for a double portion of his blessing.
One week before the
9th of Av, on the Shabbat that connects us to the greatest
separation, the destruction of the Tabernacle, we gain access to the most
incredible Light. On this Shabbat, we have the power to double the strength
of Elijah the Prophet.
This book is a repetition of both the history
and the laws contained in the three previous books, which repeat what Moses
delivered to Yisrael (both by word of mouth, that it might affect, and by writing,
that it might last) just before his death. There is no new revelation in it,
but, that of the death of Moses in the last chapter, nor any new revelation to
Moses, and therefore the style here is not, as before. YAHVEH spoke unto
Moses, saying.
But the former laws
are repeated and commented upon, explained and enlarged, and some particular
precepts clarified to them, with abundant reasoning’s for the enforcing of
them.
In this book Moses
was divinely inspired and assisted, so that this is as truly the word of YAHVEH
written by Moses as that which was spoken to him with an audible voice out
of the tabernacle of the congregation, Lev. 1:1.
The Greek
interpreters call it Deuteronomy, which signifies the second law,
or a second edition of the law, not with amendments, for the law needed
none, but with additional clarification, for the further direction of the
people in specific cases, not mentioned before. That is why this book of the
Law was design to be place on the outside of the Ark, Deut 31:25 That Moses
commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of YAHVEH, saying, 26Take
this book of the law, and put it at the side of the Ark of the covenant of
YAHVEH your EL, that it may be there for a witness against thee. 27For
I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you
this day, ye have been rebellious against YAHVEH and how much more after my death?
One could safely say
that Deuteronomy is the policeman of the Torah, since it contains the laws that
stand against us, both in chapter 11:17And then YAHVEH’S
wrath be kindled against you, and HE shut up the heaven, that there be no rain,
and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the
good land which YAHVEH giveth you. 11:
26Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; 27A
blessing, if ye obey the commandments of YAHVEH your EL, which I command you
this day: 28And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of
YAHVEH your EL, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to
go after other gods, which ye have not known. 29And it shall come to
pass, when YAHVEH thy EL hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest
to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the
curse upon mount Ebal.
Deut 28:15But
it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of YAHVEH thy
EL, to observe to do all HIS commandments and HIS statutes which I command thee
this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: 16Cursed
shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. 17Cursed
shall be thy basket and thy store. 18Cursed shall be the fruit of
thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks
of thy sheep. 19Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed
shalt thou be when thou goest out.
Deut 30:1And
it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing
or the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind
among all the nations, whither YAHVEH your EL hath driven thee.
Now, it was much for
the honor of the Divine Principles that it should be therefore repeated; how great
were the things of those principles which was place inside the Ark Exodus 40:20
“And he took and put the testimony
into the Ark, and set the staves on the Ark, and put the mercy seat above upon
the Ark:” therefore think on how
inexcusable would those be by whom they were counted as a strange thing!
Hos. 8:12 I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange
thing.
There might be a
particular reason for the repeating of it in this book; the men of that
generation to which the law was first given were all dead, and a new generation
had sprung up, to whom YAHVEH would have it repeated by Moses himself, that, if
possible, it might make a lasting impression upon them. Now that they were just
going to take possession of the land
of Canaan
It would be of great
use to the people to have those parts of the law therefore gathered up and put
together which did more immediately impact them and their practice; for the
laws which concerned the priests and Levites, and the execution of their
offices, are not repeated: it was enough for them that they were once
delivered.
But, in compassion
to the infirmities of the people, the laws was delivered a second time. The
first law was place inside the Ark
Precept must be
upon precept, and line upon line,
Isa. 28:10. The great and essential truths of the gospel should be often
pressed upon people by the ministers of El (Jesus) Yahushua. To write the
same things (says Paul, Phil. 3:1) to me indeed is not grievous, but for
you it is safe. What YAHVEH has spoken once we have need to hear twice, to
hear many times, and it is well if, after all, it be faithfully perceived and practice.
In three ways this
book of Deuteronomy was magnified and made honorable:
1. The king was to
write a copy of it with his own hand, and to read therein all the days of his
life, ch. 17, 18, 19.
2. It was to be
written upon great stones plastered, at their passing over Jordan
3. It was to be read
publicly every seventh year, at the feast of tabernacles, by the priests, in
the audience of all Yisrael, ch. 31:9, etc. The gospel is a kind of
Deuteronomy, a second law, a remedial law, a spiritual law, a law of faith; by
if we are under the law of Messiyah and it is a law that makes the believer
perfect.
This
book of Deuteronomy begins with a brief rehearsal of the most remarkable events
that had happen to the Yisraelites since they came from Mount
Sinai . In the fourth chapter we have a most pathetic exhortation
to obedience.
In the twelfth chapter, and on to the
twenty-seventh, are repeated many particular laws, which are enforced (ch. 27
and 28) with promises, blessings and curses, formed into a covenant, ch. 29 and
30.
Care
is taken to perpetuate the remembrance of these things among them (ch. 31),
particularly by a song (ch. 32), and so Moses concludes with a blessing, ch.
33. All this was delivered by Moses to Yisrael in the last month of his life.
The
whole book of Deuteronomy contains the history, except for two months; compare
ch. 1:3 with Jos. 4:19, the latter of which was the thirty days of Yisrael’s
mourning for Moses; see how busy that great and good man has to do good when he
knew that his time was short, how quick his motion when he drew near his rest.
Therefore,
we have more recorded of what our blessed Savior Messiyah Yahushua said and did
in the last week of his life than in any other. The last words of a eminent
persons make or should make deep impressions. For the honor of this book, that
when our Savior Messiyah Yahushua would answer the devil’s temptations with, It
is written, He got all His quotations out of this book, Mt. 4:4, 7, 10.
The
first part of Moses’ farewell teachings to Yisrael begins with this chapter,
and is continued to the latter end of the fourth chapter. In the first five
verses of this chapter we have the date of the sermon, the place where it was
preached verse 1, 2, 5, and the time when verse 3, 4. The narrative in this
chapter reminds them:
I.
Of the promise
YAHVEH made them of the land
of Canaan
II.
Of the
provision made of judges for them verse 9-18.
III.
Of their
unbelief and murmuring upon the report of the spies verse 19-33.
IV.
Of the sentence
passed upon them for it, and the ratification of that sentence verse 34.
Deu 1:1 These are
the words which Mosheh spoke to all Yisra’ĕl beyond the Yardĕn in the
wilderness, in the desert plain opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and
Laḇan, and
Ḥatsĕroth, and Di Zahaḇ, - These are the words, refers to Moses
strong words of rebuke, and encouragement , indeed, Moses began his teaching by
reminding his people of the many shortcoming since the Exodus.
Alternatively,
the words are the commandments and exhortations from chapter 5 to 26:19, which
compiles the significant part of this book, and the first four chapters are the
preamble to those Instructions.
The term to
all Yisrael, means in the present of everyone, past present and future,
Yisrael. This verse gave the location of the significant event were some of
these things were spoken to Moses.
Deu 1:2 eleven days’ journey from Ḥorĕḇ by way of Mount Sĕʽir Promise
Land , and instructed them to use the
route that skirt Mount
seir
Normally, it
would have been an eleven day journey to Kadesh-barnea, but YAHVEH as so
anxious for them to enter the Land quickly, that He miraculously brought them
there in only three days.
This should
have been more than adequate proof that YAHVEH was guiding them, yet the people
wanted spies to reassure themselves and before they would believed the prophecy
about the land.
Deu 1:3 And it came to be in the fortieth year, in the eleventh
month, on the first day of the month, that Mosheh spoke to the children of Yisra’ĕl
according to all that יהוה had commanded
him concerning them, - Moses began his
final teaching on the eleven month on the first day of Shevat the fortieth year
after the Exodus. He conveyed his messages of this book during a period of just
over five weeks.
In general, Moses spoke
unto them all that YAHVEH had given
him in commandment, which intimates, not only that what he now delivered
was for substance the same with what had formerly been commanded, but that it
was what YAHVEH now commanded him to repeat.
Deu 1:4 after he
had smitten Siḥon sovereign of the Amorites, who dwelt in Ḥeshbon, and Oḡ sovereign of Bashan, who dwelt at Ashtaroth in Eḏreʽi. – Numbers 20:22 after his victory over the Amorites
kings and conquest of their land, made it easier for Moses to admonish his
people, since no one could now say, What right has he to rebuke us; has he
brought us into a Land as he promised.
Deu 1:5 Beyond the
Yardĕn, in the land
of Mo
Deu 1:6 “יהוה our Elohim spoke
to us in Ḥorĕḇ, saying, ‘You have dwelt long enough
at this mountain. - He gave them this rehearsal and exhortation purely
by divine direction; YAHVEH appointed him to leave this legacy to the Assembly.
He begins his narrative with their removal from Mount
Sinai , and relates here. Therefore YAHVEH brought them this way to
humble them, and by the terrors of the law to prepare them for the land of
promise. There he kept them about a year, and then told them they had dwelt long enough there, they must go
forward ad posses the Land.
Though, YAHVEH brings HIS
people into trouble and affliction, into spiritual trouble and affliction of
mind, HE knows when they have dwelt long enough in it, and will certainly find
a time, the best time, to advance them from the terrors of the spirit of
adoption. See Rom. 8:15.
If we should disobey HIM,
the consequence could be devastated. If we have a turkey in the oven and we do
not remove it at the appointed time or even too early, the turkey will be either
burnt or under cooked.
When we are told to move,
it is for our own good, if we stay any longer the consequence could be
catastrophic.
Deu 1:7 ‘Turn and
set out on your way, and go into the mountains of the Amorites, and to all the
neighboring places in the desert plain, in the mountains and in the low
country, and in the Negeḇ and on the seacoast, to the land of
the Kenaʽanites and to Leḇanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates. -
The prospect which he gave them of a happy and early settlement in Canaan : Go to the land of the Canaanites; enter
and take possession, it is all your own.
Deu 1:8 ‘See, I
have set the land before you. Go in and possess the land which יהוה
swore to your fathers, to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Yaʽaqoḇ, to give to them and their seed after
them.’- Behold I have set the land before you. When YAHVEH commands us to go forward in our
spiritual journey, He sets the land
of Canaan
Deu 1:9 “ And I spoke to you that time, saying, ‘I am unable
to bear you by myself. – This terms “saying” implies that Moses was repeating
something that had been told to HIM. Indeed, יהוה commanded him to make the following declaration.
Deu 1:10 יהוה your Elohim has
increased you, and see, you are today as numerous as the stars of the Heavens. - At that time the Children of Yisrael
was not yet as numerous as the stars. Moses’ comparison was to the permanence
of the Heavenly bodies.
That he greatly rejoiced
in the increase of their numbers. He owns the accomplishment of YAH’S promise
to Abraham: You are as the stars of
the Heavens for multitude.
Deu 1:11 יהוה Elohim of your
fathers is going to add to you a thousand times more than you are, and bless
you as He has spoken to you! - Prays for the further
accomplishment of it: YAHVEH make you a thousand times more. This prayer
comes in a parenthesis, and a good prayer prudently put in, cannot be
impertinent in any discourse of divine things, nor will a pious ejaculation
break the coherence, but rather strengthen and adorn it. But how greatly are
his desires enlarged when he prays that they might be made a thousand times
more than they were!
We are not straitened in
the power and goodness of YAHVEH, why should we be straitened in our own faith
and hope, which ought to be as large as the promise? Larger they need not be.
It is from the promise that Moses here takes the measures of his prayer: YAHVEH
bless you as he hath promised you. And why might he not hope that they
might become a thousand times more than they were now when they were now ten
thousand times more than they were when they went down into Egypt
Observe, When they were
under the influence of Pharaoh the increase of their numbers was envied, and
complained of as a grievance (Ex. 1:9); but now, under the influence of Moses,
it was rejoiced, and prayed for blessing.
Deu 1:12 ‘How do I
bear your pressure and your burden and your strife, by myself? - Though he was a man and well worthy of that honor,
and well qualified for the business of leadership, as any man was, yet he was
desirous that others might be taken in as assistants to him in the ministry and
consequently sharers with him in the honor: I cannot myself alone bear the burden. Leadership is a burden.
Moses himself, though eminently gifted for it, found that it lay heavily on his
shoulders; this is what the best of spiritual leaders complain most of, the
burden; and are most desirous of help, and most afraid of undertaking more than
they can perform.
Deu 1:13 ‘Choose
men, wise and understanding, and known to your tribes, and let me appoint them
as your heads.’ - He directs them
to take wise men and understanding,
whose personal merit would recommend them. The rise and origin of this nation
were so late that none of them could pretend to antiquity of race, and nobility
of birth, above their brethren; and, having all lately come out of slavery in
Egypt, it is probable that one family was not much richer than another; so that
their choice must be directed purely by the qualifications of wisdom,
experience, and integrity. "Choose those,’’ says Moses, "whose praise
is in your tribes, and with all my heart I
will make them rulers.’’ We must not grudge that YAH’S work be done by
other hands than ours, provided it be done by good hands.
Deu 1:14 “And you
answered me and said, ‘The word which you have spoken to us to do is good.’
- Moses was in this matter very willing to please the
people; and, though he did not in any thing seek their praise, yet in thing of
this nature, he would not act without their approval. And they agreed to the
proposal: The thing which the people
had spoken is good. This he mentions to aggravate the sin of their
mutinies and discontents after this, that the government they quarreled with
was what they themselves had consented to.
Deu 1:15 “And I
took the heads of your tribes, wise men and known, and made them heads over
you, leaders of thousands, and leaders of hundreds, and leaders of fifties, and
leaders of tens, and officers for your tribes. - He appointed men of good characters, wise men and
men known, men that would be faithful to their trust and to the public
interest. The purpose of Yisrael was to produce mature believers in every
generation.
Deu 1:16 “And I
commanded your judges at that time, saying, ‘When hearing between your
brothers, judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who
is with him. – In this verse
Moses is admonished the judge to listen to all side carefully, to understand
their claim, and not to make judgment hasty. Even if the case is between a Jew
and a none jew, a believer and a none believer, the same fairness is required.
Deu 1:17 ‘Do not
show partiality in right-ruling, hear the small as well as the great. Do not be
afraid of anyone’s face, for the right-ruling belongs to Elohim. And the case
which is too hard for you, bring it to me, and I shall hear it.’ - He gave them a good charge. Those that are advanced
to honor must know that they are charged with business, and must give account
one day for their position they hold.
He charges them to be
diligent and patient: Hear the causes. Hear both sides, hear them fully,
hear them carefully; for nature has provided us with two ears, and he that
answered a matter before he hearth it, it is folly and shame to him.
The ear of the learner is
necessary to the tongue of the learned, Isa. 50:4. To be just and impartial: Judge righteously. Judgment must be
given according to the merits of the cause, without regard to the quality of
the parties.
The natives must not be
suffered to abuse the strangers any more that the strangers to insult the
natives or to encroach upon them; the great must not be the oppress of the
lesser, nor to crush them, any more than the small, to rob the great, or to
affront them.
No faces must be known in
judgment, but unbraided unbiased equity must always pass sentence. To be
resolute and courageous: "You
shall not be afraid of the face of man; be not overawed to do an ill
thing, either by the clamors of the crowd or by the menaces of those that have
power in their hands.’’ And he gave them a good reason to enforce this charge: "For the judgment is Yah’s. You
are Yah’s vicegerents, you act for him, and therefore must act like him; you
are his representatives, but if you judge unrighteous, you misrepresent him.
The judgment is HIS, and therefore HE will protect you in doing right, and will
certainly call you to account if you do wrong.
Deu 1:18 “And I
commanded you at that time all the words which you should do. – In the
implementation of Justice, YAHVEH will informed the judge through the Spirit of
Wisdom, as HE did to Salomon what to say or do.
Deu 1:19 “Then we
set out from Ḥorĕḇ, and went through all that great and
awesome wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites,
as יהוה our Elohim had
commanded us. And we came to Qaḏĕsh Barnĕa. - He reminds them of their march from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea,
through that great and terrible
wilderness. This he takes notice of. To make them sensible of the great
goodness of יהוה to them, in
guiding them through so great a wilderness, and protecting them from the
mischief’s they were surrounded with. The remembrance of our dangers should
make us thankful for our deliverances. To aggravate the folly of those who, in
their discontent, would have gone back to Egypt through the wilderness, though
they had forfeited, and had no reason to expect, the divine guidance, in such a
retrograde motion.
Deu 1:20 “And I
said to you, ‘You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which יהוה
our Elohim is giving us. - He shows them how fair they
stood for Canaan at that time. He told them
with triumph, the land is set before
you, go up and possess it. He lets them see how near they were to a
happy settlement when they put a bar in their own door that their sin might
appear the more exceedingly sinful. It will aggravate the eternal ruin of
hypocrites that they were not far from
the kingdom of YAHVEH and yet came short, Mk. 12:34.
Deu 1:21 ‘See, יהוה
your Elohim has set the land before you. Go up and possess it, as יהוה
Elohim of your fathers has spoken to you. Do not fear, nor be discouraged.’ – He shows them how fair they stood for Canaan at that time. He told them with confidence the
land is set before you, go up and possess it. He lets them see how near
they were to a happy settlement when they put a bar in their own door, that
their sin might appear the more exceedingly sinful. It will aggravate the
eternal ruin of hypocrites that they were not far from the kingdom of YAHVEH
and yet came short, Mk. 12:34.
It is always during the
final stage of our journey up the mountain when our spiritual mussels hurt the
most, we must make sure we finish the journey, the goal is just around the next
bend.
Deu 1:22 “And all
of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them
search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we
should go up, and of the cities into which we would come.’ - He
lays the blame of sending the spies upon them, which did not appear in Numbers,
there it is said (ch. 13:1, 2) that YAHVEH directed the sending of them, but
here we find that the people first desired it, and יהוה, in
permitting it, gave them up to their counsels: You said, We will send men before us.
Deu 1:23 “And the
matter was good in my eyes, so I took twelve of your men, one man from each
tribe. - Moses had given them YAH’S
Word, but they could not find in their hearts to rely upon that: human policy
goes further with them than divine wisdom, and they will needs light a candle
to the sun. As if it were not enough that they were sure of a El before them,
they must send men before them.
Deu 1:24 “And they
turned and went up into the mountains, and came to the wadi Eshkol, and spied
it out. - The valley of Eshcol
Deu 1:25 “And they
took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us.
And they brought back word to us, saying, ‘The land which יהוה
our Elohim is giving us is good.’
- He repeats the report which the spies
brought of the goodness of the land which they were sent to survey. The
blessings which YAHVEH has promised are truly valuable and desirable, even the
unbelievers themselves being judges: never any looked into the holy land, but
they must own it a good land.
Deu 1:26 “But you
would not go up and rebelled against the mouth of יהוה
your Elohim, - The refusal
to ascend to the Land revealed the
insidious incentive for the mission. Now it was clear that the people did not
trust YAHVEH and that they sent spies not to plan a strategy, but to decide for
themselves whether they should obey YAH’S command.
Deu 1:27 and
grumbled in your tents, and said, ‘Because יהוה
was hating us, He has brought us out of the land of Mitsrayim to give us into
the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. – In this verse we see a false charge, it is a classic
illustration of how someone with ill will towards another person, assumes that
the person has the same feeling towards them.
The people lack the proper understanding of YAHVEH, so that they assumed
that YAHVEH hated them.
They went so far as to claim that the exodus itself was proof of their
contention, because if YAHVEH had truly loved them, He would have given them
the richly irrigated Nile-delta, and drive the Egyptian out.
Deu 1:28 ‘Where
are we going to? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people
are greater and taller than we, the cities are great and walled up to the
Heavens, and we saw the sons of the Anaqim there too.” - Yet they represented the difficulties of conquering
the Promise as impossible; as if spiritual maturity were unthinkable in this
life time, "for the people are taller than we,’’ or by siege, "for
the cities are walled up to Heavens,’’ an hyperbole which they made use to
serve their ill purpose. This argument was to dishearten the people, which
reflect on the ability of the EL of Heavens HIMSELF. Torah say that He who
start a good work in us is more than able to fulfill it.
Deu 1:29 “Then I
said to you, ‘Have no dread or fear of them. – Moses like all good leaders knew the attitude of the sheep,
how they sometime bits when they are fearful he tells them what pains he took
with them, to encourage them, when their brethren had said so much to
discourage them. Then I said unto you,
fear not. Moses suggestion was enough to have stilled the tumult, and to
kept them with their faces towards the mark of the higher calling which is
spiritual Canaan .
Deu 1:30 יהוה your Elohim, who
is going before you, He does fight for you, according to all He did for you in
Mitsrayim before your eyes, - He assured them that YAHVEH was
present with them, and president among them, and would certainly fight for them. And for proof of
YAHVEH power over their enemies Moses refers them to what they had seen done in
Egypt, where their enemies had all possible advantages against them and yet
were humbled them.
Deu 1:31 and in
the wilderness, where you saw how יהוה
your Elohim has borne you, as a man bears his son, in all the way that you went
until you came to this place.’ - Moses assured them that YAHVEH
was present with them, and president among them, and would certainly fight
for them. For proof of יהוה power over their enemies he
refers them to what they had seen done in Egypt
Deu 1:32 “Yet in
this matter you are putting no trust in יהוה
your Elohim, - Trust is another of
those character traits that must be evident in the life of the believer. If we
do not trust in the things we claim to protest, then our faith is weak.
An unbelieving heart is
at the bottom of all this: You did not
believe YAHVEH your EL. All your disobedience to YAH’S laws, and
distrust of HIS power and goodness, flow from a disbelief of HIS word. It is
sad that as time pass it has come to with us, when we too do not believe the EL
of eternal truth, we are practicing the same doctrine.
Deu 1:33 who is
going before you in the way to seek out a place for you to pitch your tents, to
show you the way you should go, in fire by night and in a cloud by day. – Moses pleaded with the people to
realize the foolishness of their charges. Who beside YAHVEH is with us.
Deu 1:34 “And יהוה
heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and took an oath, saying, - YAHVEH heard not only what we say,
which was bad enough, but also the stridency the sound of our complaint.
Deu 1:35 ‘Not one
of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore
to give to your fathers, - It was not the
breach of any of the commands of the law that shut them out of Canaan, no, not
even the golden calf, but their disbelief of that promise which was typical of
gospel grace, to signify that no sin will ruin us, but unbelief, which is a sin
against the remedy. Hebrew 4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise
being left us of entering into
his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well
as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith
in them that heard it. 3 For we which have believed do enter into
rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my
rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he spake in a certain place of the
seventh day on this wise, And
YAHVEH did rest the seventh day from all his works. 5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
Deu 1:36 except
Kalĕḇ son of Yephunneh. He shall see it,
and to him and his children I give the land on which he walked, because he
followed יהוה completely.’ –
Kaleb was exempted from the decree. Moses mentioned them in verse 39
saying that Joshua would lead the people into the land. This Joshua is a form
of Messiyah Yahushua who will led the people in the restoration of the Kingdom of Shamayem
Deu 1:37 “And יהוה
was enraged with me for your sakes, saying, ‘You do not go in there, either. - Moses himself afterwards fell under YAH’S displeasure for a hasty word
which they provoked HIM to speak: YAHVEH
was angry with me for your sakes. Because all the old mindset must go,
Moses himself must not stay behind. Their unbelief was allowed to die into the
wilderness, and, even Moses falls within his commission. Yet here is mercy
mixed with wrath.
Deu 1:38 ‘Yehoshua
the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Strengthen him,
for he shall cause Yisra’ĕl to inherit. - Though Moses might not bring them into Canaan, Joshua should: Encourage him; for he would be
discouraged from taking up a government which he saw Moses himself fall under
the weight of; but let him be assured that he shall accomplish that for which
he is raised up: He shall cause
Yisrael to inherit it. Thus what
the law could not do, in that it was weak, Jesus, our Joshua, does by
bringing in the better hope.
Deu 1:39 ‘And your
little ones and your children, who you say are for a prey, who today have no
knowledge of good and evil, they are going in there. And to them I give it, and
they are to possess it. - That,
though this generation should not enter into Canaan ,
the next should. As they had been chosen for their fathers’ sakes, so their
children might justly have been rejected for their sakes. But mercy rejoiced against judgment. Notice that
this verse says that the younger ones had not eaten of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil.
Deu 1:40 ‘But you,
turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Sea of Reeds land of Esau
Now, YAHVEH commanded them to turn around to the west, back towards the Red Sea . In our spiritual journey, our sins will take us
back to the place were we have to relearn or replace that particular mindset
that cause us to sin.
It is like going back to summer school to relearn the courses we have
failed in the previous school year.
Some of us in our spiritual journey could be in the forth day of Creation
in certain areas of our lives, while we are still in the first day of creation
in others. We have to go back and strengthen the area we are weak in while
still maintaining the area we are strong in.
What is that thorn in the flesh that causes us to be so easily overtaken
with sin? Every one of us has a particular thorn in the flesh. Our Jails are
filled with people who did not know how to control their thorn in their flesh,
that cause them to be incarcerated. Sometime these thorns in the flesh become
so obnoxious that it causes society to lock us away, because our behavior
becomes unacceptable.
Deu 1:41 “Then you
answered and said to me, ‘We have sinned against יהוה.
We ourselves are going up, and we shall fight, as יהוה
our Elohim commanded us.’ And when each one of you had girded on his battle
gear, you were ready to go up into the mountain. - He reminds them of their foolish and fruitless attempt to get this
sentence reversed when it was too late. They tried by their reformation in this
particular situation; whereas they had refused to go up against the Canaanites
before, now they would go up, that they would do in haste, and they girded on
their weapons of war for that purpose. When the door is shut, and the day of
grace is over, there will be found those that stand outside knocking. Here is a
case in point.
Deu 1:42 “And יהוה
said to me, ‘Say to them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not in your midst,
lest you be smitten before your enemies.” ’ - But this, which
looked like a reformation, proved but a further rebellion. If the commander and
chief is not with us, why would we ever go and fight. This is another example
of the result of eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Deu 1:43 “So I
spoke to you, but you would not listen and rebelled against the mouth of יהוה,
and acted proudly, and went up into the mountain. - He reminds them of their foolish and fruitless attempt to get this
sentence reversed when it was too late.
They tried it by their reformation in this particular; whereas they had
refused to go up against the Canaanites, now they would go up, that they would
in all haste, and they girded on their weapons of war for that purpose. They
did forget what happen to Aarons two sons.
Deu 1:44 “Then the
Amorites who dwelt in that mountain came out against you and chased you as bees
do, and drove you back from Sĕʽir to Ḥormah. - Yet they went presumptuously up to the hill, acting now in contempt of the threatening, as
before in contempt of the promise, as if they were governed by a spirit of
contradiction. In order to defete the Amorites in our lives, we must achieve
certain level of spirituality.
Deu 1:45 “And you
returned and wept before יהוה, but יהוה
would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you. - They were chased and destroyed; and, by this defeat which they suffered
when they provoked YAHVEH to leave them, they were taught what success they
might have had if they had kept themselves in HIS love. They tried by their
prayers and tears to get the sentence reversed: They returned and wept before YAHVEH.
While they were morning
and quarrelling, it is said (Num. 14:1): They
wept that night; those were tears of rebellion against YAHVEH, these were tears of repentance and humiliation before YAHVEH.
Tears of discontent must be wept over again;
the sorrow of the world worked death, and is to be repented of; it is not so
with godly sorrow, that will
end in joy. But their weeping was all to no purpose. When we suffer defeat of
any kind in our spiritual lives, it is always due to a spiritual deficiency.
YAHVEH
would not harkens to your voice,
because you would not harkens to HIS; the decree had gone forth, and like Esau,
they found no place of repentance, though they sought it carefully with tears.
Deu 1:46 “So you
dwelt in Qaḏĕsh many days, according to the days
that you dwelt. – The nation of
Yisrael dwell, in all Kadesh for a total of nineteen years, as many days as
they dwelt in all the other resting place combined during their thirty-nine
years in the wilderness. Although the Wilderness journey was for forty years,
this verse reckons from the time of the decree, during the second year.
Moreover, the fortieth year was not a complete year.
Chapter 2
Moses, in this chapter, proceeds in the rehearsal of YAH’S
providences concerning Yisrael in their way to The Promise Land. Yet they did
not preserve any record of any thing that happened during their tedious march
back to the Red Sea . In which they wore out
almost thirty-eight years, but passes that, over in silence as a dark time, and
makes his narrative to begin again when they turn their faced towards Canaan
verse 1-3.
As they drew near towards the countries that were inhabited with
squatters, which YAHVEH had given them direction? What a nations they must have
been not to be given any disturbance to.
1. Not to the Edomites verse 4-8.
2. Not to the Moabites verse 9 of the antiquities of whose
country, with that of the Edomites, he gives some account verse 10–12. And here
comes in an account of their passing the river Zered verse 13–16.
3. Not to the Ammonites, of whose country some account given verse
17–23.
4. What nations they should attack and conquer. They must begin
with Sihon, king of the Amorites verse 24, 25.
5. And accordingly. They had a fair occasion of quarrelling with
him verse 26–32.
6. YAHVEH gave them a complete victory over him verse 33, etc.
Deu 2:1 “Then we turned
and set out into the wilderness, the way of the Sea of Reeds, as יהוה
spoke to me, and we went round Mount Sĕʽir, many days. - A
short account of the long stay of Yisrael in the wilderness: We compassed Mount Seir Canaan ,
by humbling them for sin, teaching them to mortify their lusts, to follow
YAHVEH, and to comfort themselves in HIM. It is a work of time to make souls
ready for Heavens, and it must be done by a long train of spiritual exercises.
Deu 2:2 “And יהוה
spoke to me, saying, - In all of our spiritual Journey Our Father is constantly
supervising thee developing process. Like a mother who carefully watches over
her children, so does our father watcher over us. He gives is instruction to
the person with the most spiritual develop mind, the one who he has chosen to
do HIS work.
Deu 2:3 ‘You have
gone around this mountain long enough, turn northward. – In HIS plans for HIS people, HE always gives
us enough time to accomplish HIS desired goal. A mountain in scripture
represents some we have to overcome, something formidable in our lives.
When He says you have stayed at the mountain long enough, it means that
enough time have been given to you to accomplish the task of a overcome. It is
the same as studying for a test, now it is time to write the exam. Let me see
what you have learned!
Deu 2:4 ‘And
command the people, saying, “You are about to pass over into the border of your
brothers, the descendants of Ěsaw, who live in Sĕʽir, and they are afraid of you. So be on your guard. – There is a group of believers called
spiritual Edomites, they are our brothers, who have not fully follower the
covenant. Who have not taken their opportunity to grasp the Covenant seriously?
Yet Torah says that they are our brothers. We, who are striving for the
ultimate destination, will past them on the way. They will hate us, they will
be afraid of us, yet we are admonish to be very careful with them. When we are
dealing with spiritual babies, much care must be taken.
Deu 2:5 “Do not
strive with them, for I do not give you any of their land, no, not so much as
one footstep, because I have given Mount
Sĕʽir
We may no take advantage
upon them; take heed to yourselves.’’
There is need of great caution and a strict government of our own spirits, to
keep ourselves from injuring those against whom we have an spiritual advantage.
Or this caution is given to the princes; they must not only not meddle with the
Edomites themselves, but not permit any of the soldiers to meddle with them.
They must not avenge upon
the Edomites the affront they gave them in refusing them passage through their
country, Num. 20:21. Therefore, before EL YAHVEH brought Yisrael to destroy
their enemies in Canaan, HE taught them to forgive their enemies in Edom
They must not expect to
have any part of their land given them for a possession: Mount Seir
Dominion is not founded in grace. YAH’S
Yisrael shall be well placed, but must not expect to be placed alone in the
midst of the earth, Isa. 5:8.
Deu 2:6 “What food
you buy from them with silver you shall eat. And also, what water you buy from
them with silver you shall drink. - They
must trade with them as neighbors, buy meat and water of them, and pay for what
they bought. Religion must never be made a cloak for injustice.
Because of their level of
maturity, we must be careful to pay for what we have taken. If we go to a
believer house who is poor, we should pay for what we have eaten or for the
time we have spent in their house, so that we cannot be seen as a burden to
them.
Deu 2:7 “For יהוה
your Elohim has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He has known your
wandering through this great wilderness. These forty years יהוה
your Elohim has been with you, you have not lacked any matter.” ’- The reason given in this verse is, "YAHVEH will
blessed us, and because of that blessing we will lacked nothing; and
therefore,’ "Thou neediest not beg; scorn to be or beholden to Edomites,
when thou hast a YAHVEH EL-SHADDAI all-sufficient to depend upon.
We will have money to pay
for what we ask for (thanks to the divine blessing!); use therefore what we
hast, use it cheerfully, and do not sponge upon the Edomites. Therefore they
must not steal. They experienced the care of the Divine providence concerning
us, in confidence of which for the future, and in a firm belief of its
sufficiency, never use any indirect methods for thy supply. Live by the faith
and not by thy sword.
Deu 2:8 “And when we passed beyond our
brothers, the descendants of Ěsaw who dwell in Sĕʽir, away from the way of the desert plain, away from
Ěylath and Etsyon Geḇer, we turned and passed over by way
of the Wilderness of Mo’aḇ. - It is observable from this verse that Moses, was speaking of the
Edomites This verse calls them, "our brethren, the children of Esau.’’
Though they had been unkind to Yisrael, in refusing them a peaceable passage
through their country, yet he calls them brethren.
For, though
others believers fail in their duty to us, we must retain a sense of the
relation, and not be wanting in our duty to them, as there is occasion. Now in
these verses we have,
The account which Moses
gives of the origin of the nations of which he had give an occasion to speak
of: the Moabites, Edomites, and Ammonites. We know very well, from other parts
of history, whose posterity they were; but here HE tells us how they came to
those countries in which Yisrael found them; they were not the aborigines,
or first planters.
In our journey to the Promise Land
In Revelation 7:15 we
read of a set of people who were crying. Why would anyone cry in Heavens was my
question. The revelation that was given to me was this. There is a group of
people who have wasted their time in religious activity and never make it into
the Promise land. The descendant of Esau is such a people.
Deu 2:9 “And יהוה
said to me, ‘Do not distress Mo’aḇ, nor stir yourself up against them in
battle, for I do not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have
given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a
possession.’ ” – This verse
implies that these people have already gotten their inheritance. There is
nothing more that can be done to improve their spiritual inheritance. We must
not associate with them, just walk right past them.
Deu 2:10 (The
Ěmites had dwelt there formerly, a people as great and numerous and tall as the
Anaqim. - But, The Moabites dwelt in a country which had
belonged to a numerous race of giants, called Emim (that is, terrible
ones), as tall as the Anakim, and perhaps more fierce.
We must remember that
Yisrael is an example of the Kingdom
of Heavens Moab Holy Place , and Wilderness a form of
the Outer Court
Notice it said that the
terrible ones lived in Moab
Deu 2:11 They were
also reckoned as Repha’ites, like the Anaqim, but the Mo’aḇites call them Ěmites. – As there are different levels to Heavens “seventh
heavebs”, there are different levels to our spiritual development. Our
spiritual development here on earth, will determine if we are going to displace
the Edomites of the Canaanites when we get to the Land. These races of people
are the fallen Angels who rebel again the Authority in Heavens. It seem like it
is those in the Holy of Holies who will be the last to be driven out.
Deu 2:12 And the
Ḥorites formerly dwelt in Sĕʽir, but the descendants of Ěsaw
dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their
place, as Yisra’ĕl did to the land of their possession which יהוה
gave them). - The names that are
given in these verses has a spiritual counterpart. As the Edomites destroyed
the Herites in order to posses the land, so must the Sons of Jacob destroy the
Canaanites.
Deu 2:13 “ ‘Now
rise up, and pass over the wadi Zereḏ.’ So we passed over the wadi Zereḏ. – After forty years of preparation it is
now time to apply what we have learn. Crossing the river signify a spiritual
milestone, the separation of the wilderness from Canaan .
Just like crossing the Red Sea was also a spiritual milestone, the separation
of Egypt
Deu 2:14 “And the
time we took to come from Qaḏĕsh Barnĕa until we passed over the
wadi Zereḏ was thirty-eight years, until all the
generation of the men of battle was consumed from the midst of the camp, as יהוה
had sworn to them. – Everyone must in
some point past through their own spiritual Kadesh Barnea, when our thorn in
the flesh is exposed. The whole purpose of life is for us to learn to overcome
those character traits that are peculiar to each and every individual. When we
finally cross our River Zered, is when we have become an overcomer.
Deu 2:15 “And
also, the hand of יהוה was against
them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed. – There is a
certain mindset that has to be destroyed in our lives, that is not conducive to
the kingdom of Heavens Promise
Land
Deu 2:16 “And it
came to be, when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people,
- The people could not advance, until they were
consumed, who have the hand of YAHVEH against them. Yisrael is not called to
engage with the Canaanites till all the men of war, the veteran regiments, that
had been used to hardship, and had learned the art of spiritual warfare from
the Egyptians, were consumed and dead
from among the people. Before the conquest of Canaan ,
being affected by a host of newly-raised men, trained up in a wilderness, the
Excellency of the power and purpose of creation, could not be more plainly
appear to be of The Mighty Hand of
YAHVEH and not of men.
Deu 2:17 that יהוה
spoke to me, saying,
Deu 2:18 ‘This day
you are to pass over at Ar, the boundary of Mo’aḇ. – One of the problems with today’s
churches, is that they do not understand EL YAHVEH timetable. In this verse we
see a clear indication of this. Today you are to Passover this river. If there
were no time limits, then sin and rebellion would last forever.
The sixth days of Creation shows us that The Creators, set a purpose or a
limit on things, it not they will last until His Words says otherwise. Example
the Command for the water to be divided will one day be change.
The water under the earth and the water above the earth will become one
Torah. Because the water under the earth will be no more.
Deu 2:19 ‘And when
you come near the children of Ammon, do not distress them nor stir yourself up
against them, for I do not give you any of the land of the children of Ammon as
a possession, because I have given it to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’
- The caution given them not to meddle with the
Moabites or Ammonites, whom they must not harass, nor so much as disturb in
their possessions: Distress them not, nor contend with them, in verse 9
is repeated here again
Though the Moabites aimed to ruin Yisrael
(Num. 22:6), yet Yisrael must not aim to ruin them. This is the difference
between a mature believer and the not so mature believer. Those in the Holy of
Holies and the Holy Place . A much higher
standard of operation is required, were more knowledge is given.
If others design us a
mischief, this will not justify us in designing them a mischief. But why must
not the Moabites and Ammonites be meddled with?
Because the land they were possessed was what
YAHVEH had given them, and HE did not design it for Yisrael. In other words
those who make it into the Holy of Holies spiritually will be given a higher
responsibility that those in the Holy Place .
Even unfaithful believers
have a right to their spiritual possessions, and must not look down on by those
who are in the Holy of holies.
Deu 2:20 (That
was also reckoned as a land
of Repha’ites
Deu 2:21 a people
as great and numerous and tall as the Anaqim. But יהוה
destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place,
- This verse seems to imply that the Moabites and the Ammonites receive
their inheritance before the children of Jacob. They drove out the squatters in
their Land. Before the Yisraelites did. The people in the Holy
Place receive their inheritance before the people in the Holy of
Holies. It is a great numbers of angels who rebel with Lucifer, they are the
ones we have to expel from the Kingdom when we get to the Heavens the Heavens,
the Promise Land
Deu 2:22 as He had
done for the descendants of Ěsaw, who dwelt in Sĕʽir, when He destroyed the Ḥorites from before them. They
dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, even to this day. – As Father YAHVEH have help
the Moabites and the Ammonites posses their land were
Lucifer and his angels have dwell too long, He will also help us drive out the
rest of the squatters in the Holy of Holies. Job 1:6Now
there was a day when the sons of YAHVEH came to present themselves before
YAHVEH, and Satan also came among
them.”
We see from the scripture in Job that the Satan still have access to the
Holy of Holies. It is incumbent on us as believers to reach maturity so we can
be part of the army that expel Satan and his squatters from the Holy of Holies
as the Moabites
and the Ammonites expel those in the Holy Place.
Deu 2:23 And the
Awwim who dwelt in villages as far as Azzah, the Kaphtorim who came from
Kaphtor, destroyed them and dwelt in their place. – Here in this verse we hear
the name of the inhabitance of the land, those who are squatters. They must be
destroyed. The Avvin were Philistine clan mentions in Joshua 13:3.
Since
Abraham had made a Covenant of friendliness with the King of the King Abimeleck
of the Philistia , Geneses 21:22 – 23, Yisrael
would not have taken territory from the Philistine, but because Elohim wanted
the Hebrews to have the land of the Avvim, so that the Avvim lost title to
their former land.
Deu 2:24 ‘Arise,
set out and pass over the wadi Arnon. See, I have given into your hand Siḥon
the Amorite, sovereign of Ḥeshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and stir
up yourself against him in battle. – One of the reasons why the Children of
Yisrael was brought through the Wilderness was to prepare them for battle. Now
they had grown in number and in the spirit. It was time to exercise their newly
found talent. The journey through the wilderness had made them into harden
veterans of many wars, which they were successful in.
YAHVEH having teach self-denial of
HIS people in forbidding them to meddle with the Moabites and Ammonites, and
they having quietly passed by those rich countries, and, though superior in
number, they did not made any attempt to meddle. Here He recompenses them for
their obedience by giving them the possession of the country of Sihon king of
the Amorites.
If we forbear what YAHVEH
forbids, we shall receive what he promises, and shall be no losers at last by
our obedience, though it may seem for the present to be to our loss. Do not
wrong others, and YAHVEH shall make you right.
YAHVEH gives them a
commission to seize the country of Sihon king of Heshbon.. This was YAH’S way
of disposing of kingdoms, but such particular grants are not now either to be
expected or pretended. In this commission observe though YAHVEH assured them
that the land should be their own, yet they must remove the enemy, and contend
in battle with them.
Deu 2:25 ‘This day
I begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples under all the
Heavens, who, when they hear the report of you, shall tremble and shake because
of you.’ – What YAHVEH gives we must
Endeavor to get. YAHVEH promises that when they fight HE will fight for them.
Do you begin to possess it, and I will begin to put the dread of you
upon them. YAHVEH would dispirit the enemy and so destroy them, would magnify
Yisrael and so terrify all those against whom they were commissioned. See Ex.
15:14.
Deu 2:26 “Then I sent messengers from the Wilderness of Qeḏĕmoth to Siḥon sovereign of Ḥeshbon, with words of
peace, saying, - Moses sends to
Sihon a message of peace, and only begs a passage through his land, with a
promise to give his country no disturbance, but the advantage of trading for
ready money with so great a body.
Deu 2:27 ‘Let me pass over through your land on the highway. I shall go on the
highway and turn neither to the right nor to the left. – In this verse
Moses did not disobey YAHVEH, who told him to contend with Sihon, nor dissemble
with Sihon; but doubtless it was by divine direction that he did it, that Sihon
might be left inexcusable, though YAHVEH hardened his heart. This may
illustrate the method of YAH’S dealing with those to whom he gives HIS Torah,
but does not give grace to believe it.
Deu 2:28 ‘What food you sell me for silver I shall eat, and what water you give
me for silver I shall drink. Only let me pass over on foot, - It would have
been better if those wicked leaders who have not freely given of the Word and
the Spirit, if they had even charge the people silver to receive the teaching
of Torah and how to build their Menorah it would be better. They absolutely
refuse them access to the promise land through there ministry.
In our journey to our spiritual promise land, we will be
ministered to by various people on the journey. Food represent the Torah the
Bread of Life, and the Water represent the Holy Spirit. At what ever stage of
our journey, those who refused to help us, even if it is for a fee, will be
destroyed.
Deu 2:29 as the descendants of Ěsaw who dwell in Sĕʽir and the Mo’aḇites who dwell in Ar did for me – until I pass over the Yardĕn to the land יהוה
our Elohim is giving us.’ – Actually, the King of Edom refused permission to travel his land and war
was ready even for war, numbers 20:18. These Edomites, is a form of believer,
who will stand as an obstacle for those who wish to move forwards. They will
receive their possession on the east side of the Jordon, while the real rest is
on the West side of the Jordon.
Deu 2:30 “But Siḥon sovereign of Ḥeshbon would not let us pass over, for יהוה
your Elohim hardened his spirit and strengthened his heart, to give him into
your hand, as it is this day. – In this verse we see יהוה removing Sihon’s freedom of choice, as He did to
Pharaoh. Some time evil doers accumulate so much sin that they forfeit the
right to repent. Because of there hardness of their heart they will not allow
anyone to move beyond their spiritual position. They will critics you for you
desire to achieve perfection, much like when Jeremiah was trying to rebuild the
walls of Yerushalayim, they were jeered continuously.
Deu 2:31 “And יהוה said to me,
‘See, I have begun to give Siḥon and his land over to you. Begin to possess –
in order to possess his land.’ – Before we can possess the land it must be release in the spiritual. Many
time believers venture out on their own without first ask if it is release in
the spiritual realm. This is a principle we need to learn.
Deu 2:32 “And Siḥon and all his people came out against us to fight at Yahats,
- Sihon
began the war , YAHVEH having made his heart obstinate, and hidden from
his eyes the thing that belonged to his peace , that he might deliver him into
the hand of Yisrael. Those that meddle with the people of YAHVEH meddle in
their own hurt; and YAHVEH sometimes ruins HIS enemies by their own resolves.
Mic. 4:11 Now also many nations have gathered against you,
Who say, “Let her be defiled, And let our eye look upon Zion
Deu 2:33 and יהוה our Elohim gave
him over to us, so we smote him, and his sons, and all his people. - Yisrael was victorious. They put
all the Amorites to the sword, men, women, and children; this they did as the
executioners of YAH’S wrath; now the measure of the Amorites’ iniquity was full
(Gen. 15:16), and the longer it was in the filling the sorer was the reckoning
at last.
When the time comes
for us to enter the Holy of Holies, we must not spare those who are presently
living there. They must be destroyed totally; some of the inhabitance of the
Land as we speak was evicted years ago. We have not mature as believers and
take our rightful place in the Kingdom.
Deu 2:34 “And we took all his cities at that time, and we put the men, women,
and little ones of every city under the ban, we left none remaining. - This was one of the devoted nations. They died, not
as Yisrael’s enemies, but as sacrifices to divine justice, in the offering of
which sacrifices Yisrael was employed, as a kingdom of priests. The case being
therefore extraordinary, it ought not to be drawn into a precedent for military
executions, which make no distinction and give no quarter: those will have judgment
without mercy that show no mercy. They took possession of all they had;
included their cities. When we get to the Heavens, we will take possession of
their cities, their planest, their solar system, no room will be left in the
Heavens for the children of darkness.
Deu 2:35 “Only the livestock we took as plunder for ourselves, and the spoil of
the cities which we captured. – All their good. This means that the
possession that the angel who rebel with Satan was given to the new
replacement. This is the whole purpose of life, to prepare a new generation of
Spiritual been that will take over the children of darkness possession in the
heavens and make it a Kingdom
of Light
Deu 2:36 “From Aroʽĕr, which is on the edge of the wadi
Arnon, and the city that is by the wadi, as far as Gilʽaḏ, there was not one city too high for
us. יהוה our Elohim gave
all to us. – the total
eradication of the enemy must be accomplished. No stone no planets, no cities
must be left under which they might hide must be left upturn. No more
rebellious spirits must be allow to remain in the Heavens. This is a part of
the Restorations of all things.
Deu 2:37 “Only you did not go near the land of the children of Ammon – anywhere
along the wadi Yabboq, or to the cities of the mountains, or wherever יהוה
our Elohim had forbidden us. – This is a stern warning to the Children of
Yisrael to avoid jealousy. If a person is given particular ministries do not go
near it. It has been given to them. In the Kingdom of Heavens
Chapter
3
Moses, in this chapter, relates:
I.
The conquest of
Og, king of Bashan , and the seizing of his
country verse 1–11.
II.
The
distribution of these new conquests to the two tribes and a half verse 12–17.
III.
Under certain
provisos and limitations verse 18–20.
IV.
The
encouragement given to Joshua to carry on the war which was so gloriously begun
verse 21, 22.
V.
Moses’ request
to go over into Canaan verse 23–25,
VI.
with the denial
of that request, but the grant of an equivalent verse
26, etc.
Deu
3:1 “Then
we turned and went up the way to Bashan . And
Oḡ sovereign of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to
battle at Eḏreʽi. - The
army of Og was very powerful, for he had the command of sixty fortified cities,
besides the unwalled towns. Yet all this was nothing before YAHVEH TSEABOTH,
when they came with commission to destroy Basham. He was very bold and daring: He came he came out against Yisrael to battle.
Deu 3:2 “And יהוה
said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have given him and all his people and his
land into your hand. And you shall do to him as you did to Siḥon sovereign of
the Amorites, who dwelt at Ḥeshbon.’ - Those that are not awakened by the judgments of
YAHVEH upon others, but persist in their defiance of Heavens, are ripening
apace for the like judgments upon themselves, Jer. 3:8. YAHVEH ask Moses not
fear HIM.
Deu 3:3 “So יהוה our Elohim also
gave into our hands Oḡ sovereign of Bashan ,
with all his people, and we smote him until he had no survivors remaining. – Every country has a dominant spirit over
it. That spirit is the spirit of its leader or the ruling authority. When the
protection of that authority is removed by El יהוה it is as if they never existed. That is why YAHVEHs
Prayer says deliver me not into the hand of the evil one.
Deu 3:4 “And we
captured all his cities at that time. There was not a city which we did not
take from them: sixty cities, all the district of Argoḇ, the reign of Oḡ in Bashan. – The campaign was complete, the enemy was
completely destroyed. If we allow the enemy to go free he will go somewhere
else and start all over again. Like weeds they must be completely destroyed. How they got possession of Bashan ,
a very desirable country. They took all the cities, and all the spoil of them.
Some commentator says this was the capital city the area of the Kings palace.
Deu 3:5 “All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates and bars, besides
a great many unwalled towns. – The protection of Satan Kingdom
Deu 3:6 “And we put them under the ban, as we did to Siḥon sovereign of
Ḥeshbon, putting the men, the women, and the children of every city under the
ban. – In this verse we see another pattern. The description of the men, women,
and children represent those who live in the Holy of Holies, the Holy Place , and the Outer Court Kingdom of Heavens
Deu 3:7 “But all the livestock and the spoil of the cities we took as booty for
ourselves. – The people must be totally destroyed, meaning those rebels who rebel must
be totally removed by the incoming habitance, and all that they had will be
ours.
Deu 3:8 “And at that time we took the land, from the hand of the two sovereigns
of the Amorites, that was beyond the Yardĕn, from the wadi Arnon to Mount
Ḥermon - So that now they had in their hands all that fruitful country which lay
east of Jordan, from the river Arnon unto Hermon.
Deu 3:9 “(Tsiḏonians call Ḥermon, Siryon – and the
Amorites call it Senir), -
From this verse we see that the nations contended for control of the Hermon,
each giving it a different name. This shows how coveted the land was. As there
is a battle today for the physical land
of Yisrael
Deu 3:10 all the cities of the plain, all Gilʽaḏ, and all Bashan, as far as Salḵah and Eḏreʽi, cities of the reign of Oḡ in Bashan . – The expelling of the squatters and the
establishing or the appropriation of the
land as their own was now complete.
Deu 3:11 “For only Oḡ sovereign of Bashan
was left of the remnant of the Repha’ites. See, his bedstead was an iron
bedstead. Is it not in Rabbah of the children of Ammon? Nine cubits is its
length and four cubits its width, according to the cubit of a man.- Very strong, for he was of the remnant of the
giants; his personal strength was extraordinary, a monument of which was
preserved by the Ammonites in his bedstead, which was shown as a rarity in
their chief city.
You might guess at
his weight by the materials of his bedstead; it was iron, as if a bedstead of
wood were too weak for him to sleep on: and you might guess at his stature by
the dimensions of it; it was nine cubits long and four cubits broad, which,
supposing a cubit to be but half a yard (and some learned men have made it
appear to be somewhat more), was four yards and a half long, and two yards
wide, If his bedstead is two cubits
longer than himself, and that is as much as we need to know, he was three yards
and a half high, double the stature of an ordinary man, and every way
proportion able, yet they smote him.
Deu 3:12 “And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroʽĕr, which is by the wadi Arnon, and half the mountains of
Gilʽaḏ and its cities, I gave to the Re’uḇĕnites and the Gaḏites. –
The kingdom of Heavens
Deu 3:13 “And the rest of Gilʽaḏ, and all Bashan, the reign of Oḡ, I gave to half the tribe of Menashsheh – all the
district of Argoḇ, with all Bashan, called the land of
the Repha’ites. – The tribe of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Menasheh
were given their inheritance in the Holy Place ,
like the descendant of Esau and Lot .
These places are nothing to sneeze at. It is a very
lovely place. However, the Holy of Holies or Canaan
is a vastly superior place, magnificent does not begin to describe it. Humans
have not begin to understand the magnitude of the glory EL YAHVEH has in-store
for those who reach maturity. That is why Satan work so hard to preserve what
he have lost in the spiritual sense.
Deu 3:14 “Yaʽir son of Menashsheh had taken all the
district of Argoḇ, as far as the border of the
Geshurites and the Maʽaḵathites, and called them after his own name: the Bashan of Hawoth Yaʽir, to this day. - Having shown how this country which they were now in
was conquered, in these verses he shows how it was settled by the Reubenites,
Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, which we had the story of before, Num.
32.
Here is the rehearsal. Moses specifies the
particular parts of the country that were allotted to each tribe, especially
the distribution of the lot to the half tribe of Manasseh, the subdividing of
which tribe is observable. Joseph was divided into Ephraim and Manasseh;
Manasseh was divided into one half on the one side Jordan and the other half on
the other side: that on the east side Jordan
Deu 3:15 “And to Maḵir I gave Gilʽaḏ. Our inheritance is never by chance. It will be by a
specific command by the King of Kings.
Deu 3:16 “And to the Re’uḇĕnites and the Gaḏites I gave from Gilʽaḏ as far as the wadi Arnon, the middle
of the wadi as the border, as far as the wadi Yabboq, the border of the
children of Ammon, - This verse speak
of the continuous distribution of the land to the Reubenites.
Deu 3:17 and the desert plain, with the Yardĕn as the border, from Kinnereth as
far as the Sea of the Araḇah, the Salt Sea Moab Jordan
Where the Children of Yisrael was concerned, they had
overcome these doctrine, we never hear of any other rebellion untill after this
generation had died out. Pisgah on the east was Moab
territory, it was their highland, as Canaan was the Highland
Deu 3:18 “And I commanded you at that time, saying, ‘יהוה
your Elohim has given you this land to possess. All you sons of might, pass
over armed before your brothers, the children of Yisra’ĕl. – The possession we are given in the
Heavens, Yisrael is an representation of that land. Those angels that rebel
against EL YAHVEH some of them are still squatters in the Kingdom and must be
removed, by force.
Notice that the People of Yisrael was told to cross over
the Jordan ready to fight, even though the land were allotted to them, yet they
had to take it by force. Some of those rebellious angels who have become
children of darkness, must be replace by the children of light.
There can be no other children of darkness in the Kingdom of Heavens
Deu 3:19 ‘But let your wives and your little ones, and your livestock – I know
that you have much livestock – stay in your cities which I have given you, - Unless our way
are determine by El יהוה
we cannot be bless, Unless our homes are sanctioned by El יהוה those who build, build in vain. The land was given by
יהוה as if the very DNA of the Tribe
assign to it was written on it. This is a lesson for us today, that whatever
adventure we embark on, must have the approval of our Heavenly Father.
Deu 3:20 until יהוה
has given rest to your brothers as to you, and they also possess the land which
יהוה your Elohim is
giving them beyond the Yardĕn. Then you shall return, each man to his
possession which I have given you.’ - He repeats the
condition of the agreement which they had already agreed to. That they should
send a strong detachment over the Jordan to lead in the conquest of Canaan . They should not return to their families, at
least not to settle (though for a time they might return to their home, at the
end of a campaign), till they had seen their brethren take full possession of
their respective allotments as they themselves were now in of theirs.
They must be teach not to
look after their own affairs only, but
at the affairs of others, Phil. 2:4 Let
each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests
of others. It is ill will for an Yisraelite to become selfish,
and to prefer any private interest before the public welfare. When we are at
rest we should desire to see our brethren at rest also, and should be ready to
do what we can towards it. We are not born for ourselves, but are members one
of another. A good man cannot rejoice much in the comforts of his family unless
he sees peace upon Yisrael,
Ps.128: 6 Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace
be upon Yisrael!.
Deu 3:21 “And I
commanded Yehoshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen all that יהוה
your Elohim has done to these two sovereigns. יהוה
does the same to all the reigns which you are passing over. – In this verse we read of the encouragement which Moses gave to Joshua,
who was to succeed him in the governing of the people. He commanded him not to
fear. Those that are aged, mature and experienced in the service of YAHVEH
should do all they can to strengthen the hands of those that are young, and
inexperience.
Two things YAHVEH would
have him consider for his encouragement:
What EL YAHVEH has done. Joshua had seen what a total defeat YAHVEH had
given by the forces of Yisrael to these two kings, and therefore he might
easily infer, so shall YAHVEH do to
all the rest of the kingdoms upon which we are to make war.
He must not only infer
that YAHVEH can do with them all, for HIS arm is not shortened, but HE will do,
for HIS purpose cannot changed; He that has begun will finish; as for YAHVEH, HIS work is perfect.
Joshua had seen it with
his own eyes. And the more we have seen of the instances of divine wisdom,
power, and goodness, the more inexcusable we are if we fear what flesh can do unto us.
Deu 3:22 ‘Do not fear them, for יהוה
your Elohim Himself fights for you.’ - What YAHVEH
had promised. The YAHVEH our El, He
shall fight for you; we cannot but be victorious with YAHVEH of hosts
fights for. If YAHVEH be for us, who
can be against us so as to prevail? We reproach our leader if we follow
him trembling.
Deu 3:23 “And I
pleaded with יהוה at that time,
saying, - The prayer which Moses made for himself, and
the answer which EL YAHVEH gave to that prayer.
Haftarah
Isaiah
1:1 – 27
The name of the prophet, Isaiah,
or Ysahiahu (for so it is in the Hebrew), which, in the Renewed Covenant
is read Esaias. His name signifies the salvation of the YAHVEH, a
proper name for a prophet by whom YAHVEH gives the knowledge “da’at” of
salvation to HIS people, especially for this prophet, who prophesies so
much of Yahushua the Messiyah and of the great salvation wrought out by Him.
He is said to be the
son of Amoz, not Amos the prophet (the two names in the Hebrew differ more
than in the English), but, as the Jews think, of Amoz the brother, or son, of
Amaziah king of Judah, a tradition as uncertain as that rule which they give,
where a prophet’s father is named, he also was himself a prophet. The prophets’
pupils and successors are indeed often called their sons, but we have
few instances, if any, of their own sons being their successors.
The nature of the
prophecy. It is a vision, being revealed to him in a vision, when he was awake,
and heard the Words of YAHVEH, and saw the visions of the Almighty (as
Balaam speaks, Num. 24:4), though perhaps it was not so illustrious a vision at
first as that afterwards, ch. 6:1.
The prophets were called seers,
or seeing men, and therefore their prophecies are rightly called visions.
It was what he saw with the eyes of his Spirit, and foresaw as clearly by
divine revelation, was as well assured of it, as fully apprised of it, and as
much affected with it, as if he had seen it with his bodily eyes. YAH’s
prophets saw what they spoke of, knew what they said, and require our belief of
nothing but what they themselves believed and were sure of, Jn. 6:69; 1 Jn.
1:1. They could not but speak what they saw, because they saw how much all
about them were concerned in it, Acts 4:20; 2 Co.
4:13.
Isa 1:1 The
vision of Yeshayahu son of Amots, which he saw concerning Yehuḏah and Yerushalayim in the days of Uzziyahu, Yotham, Aḥaz,
Ḥizqiyahu – sovereigns of Yehuḏah. - The
subject of the prophecy. It was what he saw concerning Judah and
Yerushalayim, the country of the two tribes, and that city which was their
metropolis; and there is little in it relating to Ephraim, or the ten tribes,
of whom there is so much said in the prophecy of Hosea. Some chapters there are
in this book which relate to Babylon , Egypt , Tyre
Instruction; for it is the privilege of Judah
and Yerushalayim that to them pertain the oracles of YAHVEH.
Reproof and threatening; for if in Judah,
where YAHVEH is known, if in Salem, where HIS name is great, iniquity be found,
they, sooner than any other, shall be reckoned with for it.
Comfort and encouragement
in evil times; for the children of Zion
The date of the prophecy. Isaiah prophesied in
the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. By this it appears, that he
prophesied long, especially if (as the Jews say) he was at last put to death by
Manasseh, to a cruel death, being sawn in two, to which some suppose the
apostle refers, Heb. 11:37. From the year that king Uzziah died (ch. 6:1) to
Hezekiah’s sickness and recovery was forty-seven years; how much before, and
after, he prophesied, is not certain; some reckon sixty, others eighty years in
all.
It
was an honor to him, and a happiness to his country, that he was continued so
long in his usefulness; and we must suppose both that he began young and that
he held out to old age; for the prophets were not tied, as the priests were, to
a certain age, for the beginning or ending of their administration.
That he passed through variety of times.
Jotham was a good king, and Hezekiah a better, and no doubt gave encouragement
to and took advice from this prophet, were patrons to him, and he a
privy-counselor to them; but between them, and when Isaiah was in the prime of
his time, the reign of Ahaz was very profane and wicked; then, no doubt, he was
frowned upon at court, and, it is likely, forced to abscond.
Good men and good
ministers must expect bad things and times in this world, and prepare for them.
Then religion was run down to such a degree that the doors of the house of
YAHVEH were shut up and idolatrous altars were erected in every corner
of Yerushalayim; and Isaiah, with all his divine eloquence and messages
immediately from YAHVEH HIMSELF, could not help it. The best men, the best
ministers, cannot do the good they would do in the world.
Isa 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth! For יהוה has spoken, “I have reared and brought up children,
but they have transgressed against Me. - We
will hope to meet with a brighter and more pleasant scene before we come to the
end of this book; but truly here, in the beginning of it, everything looks very
bad, with Judah and Yerushalayim. What is the wilderness of the world, if the
Assembly, the vineyard, has such a dismal aspect as this?
The prophet, though he
speaks in YAH’s name, yet, despairing to gain audience with the children of his
people, addresses himself to the heavens and the earth, and bespeaks their
attention: Hear, O heavens! and give ear, O earth! Sooner will the
inanimate creatures hear, who observe the law and answer the end of their
creation, than this stupid senseless people.
Let the lights of the
heaven shame their darkness, and the fruitfulness of the earth their
barrenness, and the strictness of each to its time their irregularity. Moses
begins thus in Deu. 32:1, to which the prophet here refers, intimating that now
those times had come which Moses there foretold, Deu. 31:29.
Or this is an appeal to
heaven and earth, to angels and then to the inhabitants of the upper and lower
world. Let them judge between YAHVEH and HIS vineyard; can either
produce such an instance of ingratitude? YAHVEH will be justified when HE
speaks, and both heaven and earth shall declare his righteousness, Mic. 6:1, 2;
Ps. 50:6.
He charges them with base
ingratitude, a crime of the highest nature. Call a man ungrateful, and you can
call him no worse. Let heaven and earth hear and wonder at, YAH’s gracious
dealings with such a peevish provoking people as they were: "I have
nourished and brought them up as children; they have been well fed and well
taught’’ (Deu. 32:6); "I have magnified and exalted them’’ (so some),
"not only made them grow, but made them great, t only maintained them, but
preferred them, not only trained them up, but raised them high.’’
We owe the continuance of
our lives and comforts, and all our advancements, to YAH’s fatherly care of us
and kindness to us. Their ill-natured conduct towards him, who was so tender of
them: "They have rebelled against me,’’ or (as some read it)
"they have revolted from me; they have been deserters, nay traitors,
against my crown and dignity.’’
All the instances of
YAH’s favor to us, as the YAHVEH both of our nature and of our nurture,
aggravate our treacherous departures from him and all our presumptuous
oppositions to him, children, and yet rebels!
Isa 1:3 An ox knows its owner
and a donkey its master’s crib – Yisra’ĕl does not know, My people have not
understood.” – He
attributes this to their ignorance and inconsideration: The ox knows, but
Yisrael does not. The prudence of the ox and the ass, which are not only
brute creatures, but of the dullest sort; yet the ox has such a sense of duty
as to know his owner and to serve him, to submit to his yoke and to draw in it;
the ass has such a sense of interest as to know has master’s crib, or manger,
where he is fed, and to abide by it; he will go to that of himself if he be
turned loose.
A terrible spiritual
position man has come to when he is shamed even in knowledge and understanding
by these silly animals, and is not only sent to school to them (Prov. 6:6, 7),
but set in a form below them (Jer. 8:7), taught more than the beasts of the
earth (Job 35:11) and yet knowing less.
The foolishness and
stupidity of Yisrael. YAHVEH is their owner and administrator. He made us, and
to HIM we are more than our cattle are ours; HE has provided well for us;
providence is our Master’s crib; yet many that are called the people of YAHVEH
do not know and will not consider this, but ask, "What is the Almighty
that we should serve him? He is not our owner; and what profit shall we
have if we pray unto him? He has no crib for us to feed at.’’
He had complained verse 2
of the stubbornness of their wills; They have rebelled against ME. Here
he runs it up to its cause: "Therefore they have rebelled because
they do not know, they do not consider.’’ Their understanding is darkened, and
therefore the whole Ego is alienated from the life of YAHVEH, Eph. 4:18. "Yisrael
does not know, though their land is a land of light and knowledge; in Judah
Even among those that
profess themselves YAH’s people, that have the advantages and lie under the
engagements of HIS people, there are many that are very careless in the affairs
of their souls.
Inconsideration of what
we do know is as great an enemy to us in religion as ignorance of what we
should know.
Therefore men revolt from YAHVEH, and rebel against him,
because they do not know and consider their obligations to YAHVEH in duty,
gratitude, and interest.
Isa 1:4 Alas, sinning nation, a
people loaded with crookedness, a seed of evil-doers, sons acting corruptly!
They have forsaken יהוה, they have provoked the Set-apart
One of Yisra’ĕl, they went backward. – He
laments at the corruption of their church and kingdom.
The disease of sin was
epidemic, and all orders and degrees of men were infected with it; Ah sinful
state! The prophet bewail those that would not mourn themselves: Woe to them! He speaks with holy indignation
at their degeneracy, and a dread of the consequences of it.
How he aggravates their
sin, and shows the malignity that there was in it. The wickedness was
widespread, much like Christianity today. They were a sinful nation; the
generality of the people were vicious and profane. They were so in their
national capacity.
In the management of
their public treaties abroad, and in the administration of public justice at
home, they were corrupt. It is spiritual poverty with a people when sin becomes
rational. It was very great and heinous in its nature. They were laden
with iniquity; the guilt of it, and the curse incurred by that guilt, lay
very heavily upon them. It was a heavy charge that was exhibited against them,
and one which they could never clear themselves from; their wickedness was upon
them as a talent of lead, Zec. 5:7, 8. Their sin, as it did easily beset
them and they were prone to it, was a weight upon them, Heb. 12:1.
They came from a bad
stock, from a seed of evil-doers. Treachery ran in their blood; they had
it by nature, which made the matter so much the worse, more provoking and less
curable. They rose up in their fathers’ stead, and walk in their fathers’
steps, to fill up the measure of their iniquity, Num. 32:14. They were a
race and family of rebels.
Those that were
themselves morally depraved did what they could to depraved others. They were
not only corrupt children, born tainted, but children that were corrupters,
that propagated vice, and infected others with it, not only sinners, but
tempters not only actuated by Satan, but agents for him. If those that are
called children of Light, or YAH’s children, that are looked upon as
belonging to HIS family, be wicked and vile, their example is of the most
malignant influence.
Their sin was a
treacherous departure from YAHVEH. They were deserters from their allegiance: "They
have forsaken YAHVEH, to whom they had joined themselves; they have gone
away backward, are alienated or separated from YAHVEH, have turned their
back upon him, deserted their colors, and quitted their service.’’
When they were urged forward, they ran
backward, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke, as a backsliding heifer,
Hos. 4:16. It was an impudent and daring defiance of him: They have provoked
the Holy One of Yisrael unto anger willfully and designedly; they knew what
would anger him, and that they did. The backslidings of those that have
professed religion and relation to YAHVEH are in a special manner provoking to
him.
Isa 1:5 Why should you be beaten
any more? You continue in apostasy! All the head is sick, and all the heart
faints. – How
he illustrates it by a comparison taken from a sick and diseased body, all
overspread with leprosy, or, like Job’s, with sore boils. The distemper has
seized the vitals, and so threatens to be mortal. Diseases in the head and
heart are most dangerous; now the head, the whole head, is sick, the heart, the
whole heart, is faint. They had become corrupt in their judgment: the leprosy
was in their head. They were utterly unclean; their affection to YAHVEH and
religion was cold and lifeless; the things which remained were ready to die
away, Rev. 3:2.
Isa 1:6 From the sole of the
foot, to the head, there is no soundness in it – wounds and bruises and open
sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment. – It has overspread the whole
body, and so becomes exceedingly noisome; From the sole of the foot even to
the head, from the meanest peasant to the greatest peer, there is no
soundness, no good principles, no religion (for that is the health of the
soul), nothing but wounds and bruises, guilt and corruption, the sad
effects of Adam’s fall, noisome to the holy EL, painful to the sensible soul;
they were so to David when he complained (Ps. 38:5), My wounds stink, and
are corrupt, because of my foolishness. See Ps. 32:3, 4.
No attempts were made for
restoration, or, if they were, they proved ineffectual: The wounds have not
been closed, not bound up, nor mollified with ointment. While sin remains
unrepented of the wounds are unsearched, unwashed, the proud flesh in them not
cut out, and while, consequently, it remains unpardoned, the wounds are not
mollified or closed up, nor any thing done towards the healing of them and the
preventing of their fatal consequences.
Isa 1:7 Your land is laid waste,
your cities are burned with fire, strangers devour your land in your presence.
And it is laid waste, as overthrown by strangers. - He sadly contemplate the judgments of YAHVEH which
they had brought upon themselves by their sins, and their incorrigibleness
under those judgments. Their kingdom was almost ruined. So miserable were they
that both their towns and their lands were wasted, and yet so stupid that they
needed to be told this, to have it shown to them.
"Look and see how it
is; your country is desolate; the ground is not cultivated, for want of
inhabitants, the villages being deserted, Jdg. 5:7. And thus the fields and
vineyards become like deserts, all grown over with thorns, Prov. 24:31.
Your cities are burned
with fire, by the enemies that
invade you’’ (fire and sword commonly go together); "as for the fruits of
your land, which should be food for your families, strangers devour them;
and, to your greater vexation, it is before your eyes, and you cannot
prevent it; you starve while your enemies surfeit on that which should be your
maintenance.
The overthrow of your
country is as the overthrow of strangers; it is used by the invaders, as one
might expect it should be used by strangers.’
Isa 1:8 And the daughter of
Tsiyon is left as a booth in a vineyard, as a hut in a garden of cucumbers, as
a besieged city. – Yerushalayim itself, which was as the daughter of
Zion (the temple built on Zion was a mother, a nursing mother, to
Yerushalayim), or Zion itself, the holy mountain, which had been dear to YAHVEH
as a daughter, was now lost, deserted, and exposed as a cottage in a
vineyard, which, when the vintage is over, nobody dwells in or takes any
care of, and looks as mean and despicable as a lodge or hut, in a
garden of cucumbers; and every person is afraid of coming near it, and
solicitous to remove his effects out of it, as if it were a besieged city.
Some think, it is a
calamitous state of the kingdom that is represented by a diseased body, verse
6. Probably this sermon was preached in the reign of Ahaz, when Judah was
invaded by the kings of Syria and Yisrael, the Edomites and the Philistines,
who slew many, and carried many away into captivity, 2 Chr. 28:5, 17, 18.
National impiety and
immorality bring national desolation. Canaan, the glory of all lands, Mount Zion
Yet they were not all
reformed, and therefore YAHVEH threatens to take another course with them verse
5: "Why should you be stricken any more, with any expectation of
doing you good by it, when you increase revolts as your rebukes are increased?
You will revolt more
and more, as you have done,’’ as
Ahaz particularly did, who, in his distress, trespassed yet more against
YAHVEH, 2 Chr. 28:22. The physician, when he sees the patient’s case
desperate, troubles him no more with physic; and the father resolves to correct
his child no more when, finding him hardened, he determines to disinherit him.
Isa 1:9 Unless יהוה of hosts had left to us a small remnant, we would
have become like Seḏom, we would have been
made like Amorah. – He comforts himself with the consideration of a
remnant that should be the example of Divine grace and mercy, notwithstanding
this general corruption and desolation.
How near they were
to an utter extirpation. They were almost like Sodom
and Gomorrah
What it was that
saved them from it: The YAHVEH TSEBAOTE left unto them a very small remnant,
that were kept themselves pure from the common apostasy and kept safe and alive
from the common calamity. This is quoted by the apostle (Rom. 9:27), and
applied to those few of the Jewish nation who in his time embraced Messiyanic
Judaism, when the body of the people rejected it, and in whom the promises made
to the fathers were accomplished.
In the worst of
times there is a remnant preserved from iniquity and reserved for mercy, as
Noah and his family in the deluge, Lot and his in the destruction of Sodom
This remnant is
often a very small one in comparison with the vast number of revolting ruined
sinners. Multitude is no mark of the true church. Messiyah’s is a little flock.
It is YAH’s work to
sanctify and save some, when others are left to perish in their impurity. It is
the work of HIS power as YAHVEH TSEBATO. Except HE had left us that remnant,
there would have been none left; the corrupters verse 4 did what they could to
debauch all, and the devourers verse 7 to destroy all, and they would have
prevailed of YAHVEH HIMSELF had not interposed to secure to himself a remnant,
who are bound to give him all the glory.
It is good for a
people that have been saved from utter ruin to look back and see how near they
were to it, just upon the brink of it, to see how much they owed to a few good
men that stood in the gap, and that that was owing to a good EL, who left them
these good men. It is of the YAHVEH’s mercies that we are not consumed.
Isa 1:10 Hear the word of יהוה, you rulers of Seḏom; give ear to the Torah of our Elohim, you people of Amorah! – YAHVEH calls to them (but
calls in vain) to hear HIS word. The title he gives them is very strange; You
rulers of Sodom , and people of Gomorrah Sodom were wicked, and sinners before YAHVEH
exceedingly (Gen. 13:13), and so were the men of Judah
When the rulers were bad,
no wonder the people were so. Vice overpowered virtue, for it had the rulers,
the men of figure, on its side; and it out-polled it, for it had the people,
the men of number, on its side. The streams being thus strong, no less a power
than that of the YAHVEH TSEBAOTE could secure a remnant, verse 9.
The rulers are boldly
attacked here by the prophet as rulers of Sodom
His demand upon them is
very reasonable: "Hear the Word of EL YAHVEH, and give ear to
the law of our EL; attend to that which YAHVEH has to say to you, and let
HIS word be a law to you.’’ The following declaration of dislike to their
sacrifices would be a kind of new law to them, though really it was but an explication
of the old law; but special regard is to be had to it, as is required to the
like, Ps. 50:7, 8. "Hear this, and tremble; hear it, and take warning.’’
Isa 1:11 “Of what use to Me are
your many slaughterings?” declares יהוה. “I have had
enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts. I do not delight
in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. – He justly refuses to hear their prayers and accept
their services, their sacrifices and burnt-offerings, the fat and blood of
them. This is speaking of the Christian religion today. Amos 5:21 I
hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn
assemblies. 22Though ye offer
me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither
will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. 23Take thou away from me the noise
of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. Notice that Amos 5:21 says your feast days compare
to Leviticus 23:2 which says YAHVEH feast day. YAHVEH only delight in honest to
goodness blood sacrifice that led to full maturity.
Isa 1:12 “When you come to
appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My
courtyards? – Our their
attendance in his courts, is vitally important. In the layout of the Tabernacle
we learn how to appear before YAHVEH. We must start from the Outer-Court were we
wash ourselves in the water that flow from Messiyah Side, as we enter the Holy
Place, we must ask for the Holy Spirit to help us to worship YAHVEH in Spirit
and according to Torah. We cannot approach EL YAHVEH anyhow.
Isa 1:13 “Stop bringing futile
offerings, incense, it is an abomination to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths, the
calling of meetings – I am unable to bear unrighteousness and assembly. – We must stop bringing manmade offering and praise and worship, we
celebrate manmade new moon, manmade Sabbath and manmade praise and worship.
These are our feast days, according to Amos 5:21.
We are told here that EL YAHVEH does not accept
these offering, they are unrighteousness. When we are told to keep the Sabbath
day holy and we disregard it and worship on Sunday instead, these are
unrighteous assembly, for they do not come before EL YAHVEH on the time HE said
we must come to HIM.
Yahushua said if you love me keep My Commandments,
yet Christians says the reason why they worship on Sunday is because they love
Jesus. They migh love Jesus, but they do not love the Messiyah!
Isa 1:14 “My being hates your New
Moons and your appointed times, they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing
them. – Man New Moon is the beginning of their month
example January 1st. It is not according to EL YAHVEH calculation
which is according to the sighting of the first sliver of the moon. Your
appointed times are: Christmas, good Friday, labor day, mothers day,
valentines day, new years day and many more. These are man’s or your appointed
times, which are repulsive to EL YAHVEH.
In the year 324 ad when Constantine the Emperor
of Rome ask the Assembly at Nisea to be the official religion of the Roman
empire, The assembly had to give up the Holy days of Leviticus 23 in-order to
become the State sponsor religion. They were ask not to Judiase, meaning have
nothing to do with the Hebrew way of approaching EL YAHVEH.
Today only a small remnant of Messiyanic
Believers that truly keep the Holy Days. Today the christian practice the
doctrine of the Nicolaitans, Rev 2:15
So hast
thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
The doctrine of the
Nicolaitans is to remove the Hebrewness of scripture from our praise and
worship.
Isa 1:15 “And when you spread out
your hands, I hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I do
not hear. Your hands have become filled with blood. - As odious and
offensive as this is YAHVEH did not only not accept them, but HE detest and
abhor them.
"They are your
sacrifices, they are none of HIS, I am full of them, even surfeited with
them.’’ He needed them not (Ps. 50:10), HE did not desire them, had had enough
of them, and more than enough. Their coming into HIS courts HE calls treading
them, or trampling upon them; their very attendance on HIS ordinances was
construed into a contempt of them. Their incense, though ever so fragrant, was
an abomination to him, for it was burnt in hypocrisy and with an ill design.
Their solemn assemblies
YAHVEH did away with, HE could not accept them, nor bear the affront
they gave HIM. The solemn meeting is iniquity; though the thing itself
was not, yet, as they managed it, it became so.
It is a vexation
(so some read it), a provocation, to YAHVEH, to have ordinances thus
prostituted, not only by wicked people, but to wicked purposes: "My
soul hates them; they are a trouble to me, a burden, an in-cumbrance; I am
perfectly sick of them, and weary of bearing them.’’
YAHVEH is never weary of
hearing the prayers of the upright, but soon weary of the costly sacrifices of
the wicked. He hides HIS eyes from their prayers, as that which he has an
aversion to and is angry at.
All this is to show, that
sin is very hateful to YAHVEH, so hateful that it makes even men’s prayers and
their religious services hateful to HIM. That dissembled piety is double
iniquity. Hypocrisy in religion is of all things most abominable to the EL of
heaven. Jerome applies the passage to the Jews in Messiyah’s time, who
pretended a great zeal for the law and the temple, but made themselves and all
their services abominable to YAHVEH by filling their hands with the blood of
Messiyah and His apostles, and so filling up the measure of their iniquities.
We have come full circle,
today Christanity have nothing to do with Yahushua HaMashiach who died on the
Stake at Calvery. Jeremiah 2:12 Be astonished, O ye
heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith YAHVEH. 13For
my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of
living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no
water.
Isa 1:16 “Wash yourselves, make
yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Stop
doing evil! – Though
YAHVEH had rejected their services as insufficient to atone for their sins
while they persisted in them, yet he does not reject them as in a hopeless
condition, but here calls upon them to forsake their sins, which hindered the
acceptance of their services, and then all would be well. Let them not say that
YAHVEH picked quarrels with them; no, he proposes a method of reconciliation.
A call to repentance and
reformation: "If you would have your sacrifices accepted, and your prayers
answered, you must begin your work at the right end: Be converted to my
law’’ (so the Chaldee begins this exhortation), "make conscience of
second-table duties, else expect not to be accepted in the acts of your
devotion.’’ As justice and charity will never atone for atheism and
profaneness, so prayers and sacrifices will never atone for fraud and
oppression; for righteousness towards men is as much a branch of pure religion
as religion towards YAHVEH is a branch of universal righteousness.
They must cease to do
evil, must do no more wrong, shed no more innocent blood. This is the
meaning of washing themselves and making themselves clean. It is not
only sorrowing for the sin they had committed, but breaking off the practice of
it for the future, and mortifying all those vicious affections and dispositions
which inclined them to it.
Sin is defiling to the
soul. Our business is to wash ourselves in the Blood and Water that flows from
Yahushua side, from it by repenting of it and turning from it to YAHVEH. We
must put away not only that evil ways which is before the eye of the world, by
refraining from the gross acts of sin, but that which is before YAH’s eyes, the
roots and habits of sin, that are in our hearts; these must be crushed and mortified.
Isa 1:17 “Learn to do good! Seek
right-ruling, reprove the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. - They must learn to do
well. This was necessary to the completing of their repentance. It is not
enough that we cease to do evil, but we must learn to do well.
We must be doing good
works, not cease to do evil and then stand idle.
We must be doing good,
the good which the YAHVEH our EL requires and which will turn to a good
account.
We must do it well, in a
right manner and for a right end; We must learn to do well; we must take pains
to get the knowledge of our duty, be inquisitive concerning it, in care about
it, and accustom ourselves to it, that we may readily turn our hands to our
work and become masters of this holy art of doing well.
He urges them
particularly to those instances of well-doing wherein they had been defective,
to second-table duties: "Seek judgment; enquire what is right, that
you may do it; be solicitous to be found in the way of your duty, and do not
walk carelessly. Seek opportunities of doing good: Relieve the oppressed,
those whom you yourselves have oppressed; ease them of their burdens, ch. 58:6.
You, that have power in
your hands, use it for the relief of those whom others do oppress, for that is
your business. Avenge those that suffer wrong, in a special manner concerning
yourselves for the fatherless and the widow, whom, because they are weak and
helpless, proud men trample upon and abuse; do you appear for them at the bar,
on the bench, as there is occasion.
Speak for those that know
not how to speak for themselves and that have not wherewithal to gratify you
for your kindness.’’ We are truly honoring YAHVEH when we are doing good in the
world; and acts of justice and charity are more pleasing to him than all
burnt-offerings and sacrifices. We are saved to
do good works, good work are what the Commandments say we must do.
Isa 1:18 “Come now, and let us
reason together,” says יהוה. “Though your sins are like
scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they
shall be as wool. - A
demonstration, at the bar of right reason, of the equity of YAH’s proceedings
with them: "Come now, and let us reason together; while your hands
are full of blood I will have nothing to do with you, though you bring me a
multitude of sacrifices; but if you wash, and make yourselves clean, you are
welcome to draw nigh to me; come now, and let us talk the matter over.’’
Those that break off
their league with sin, shall be welcome into covenant and communion with
YAHVEH; HE says, Come now, who before forbade them HIS courts. See Jam.
They represented YAHVEH
as a hard Master, whom it was impossible to please. "Come,’’ says YAHVEH,
"let us debate the matter fairly, and I doubt not but to make it out that my
ways are equal, but yours are unequal,’’ Eze. 18:25.
Religion has reason on
its side; there is all the reason in the world why we should do as YAHVEH would
have us do. The EL of the heavens condescends to reason the case with those
that contradict him and find fault with his proceedings; for he will be
justified when he speaks, Ps. 51:4.
The case needs only to be
stated (as it is here very fairly) and it will determine itself. YAHVEH shows
here upon what terms they stood (as he does, Eze. 18:21–24; 33:18, 19) and then
leaves it to them to judge whether these terms are not fair and reasonable.
They could not in reason
expect any more then, if they repented and reformed. they should be restored to
YAH’s favor, notwithstanding their former provocations. "This you may
expect,’’ says YAHVEH, and it is very kind; who could have the face to desire
it upon any other terms?
It is very little that is
required, "only that you be willing and obedient, that you consent
to obey’’ (so some read it), "that you subject your wills to the will
of YAHVEH, acquiesce in that, and give up yourselves in all things to be ruled
by him who is infinitely wise and good’’ Here is no penance imposed for
their former stubbornness, nor the yoke made heavier or bound harder on their
necks; only, "Whereas hitherto you have been perverse and refractory, and
would not comply with that which was for your own good, now be tractable, be
governable’’ He does not say, "If you be perfectly obedient,’’
but, "If you be willingly so;’’ for, if there be a willing mind, it
is accepted.
That is very great which
is promised hereupon. That all their sins should be pardoned to them, and
should not be mentioned against them. "Though they be as red as scarlet
and crimson, though you lie under the guilt of blood, yet, upon your repentance,
even that shall be forgiven you, and you shall appear in the sight of YAHVEH as
white as snow.’’
The greatest sinners, if
they truly repent, shall have their sins forgiven them, and so have their
consciences pacified and purified. Though our sins have been as scarlet and
crimson, as deep dye, a double dye, first in the wool of original corruption
and afterwards in the many threads of actual transgression, though we have been
often dipped, by our many backslidings, into sin, and though we have lain long
soaking in it, as the cloth does in the scarlet dye, yet pardoning mercy will
thoroughly discharge the stain, and, being by it purged as with hyssop, we
shall be clean, Ps. 51:7. If we make ourselves clean by repentance and
reformation verse 16, YAHVEH will make us white by a full remission.
Isa 1:19 “If you submit and obey,
you shall eat the good of the land; - That they should have all the happiness and comfort
they could desire. "Be but willing and obedient, and you shall eat the
good of the land, the land of promise; you shall have all the blessings of
the new covenant, of the heavenly Canaan , all
the good of the land.’’ Deut 28:1- 14.
Those that go on in sin, though they may dwell in a good land, cannot with any
comfort eat the good of it; guilt embitters all; but, if sin be pardoned,
creature-comforts become comforts indeed.
Isa 1:20 but if you refuse and
rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword,” for the mouth of יהוה has spoken. – This verse
illustrate the same principle of Deuteronomy, it deals with the curse of
disobedience. Deut 28: 49 YAHVEH shall bring a nation against thee from
far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose
tongue thou shalt not understand;
Isa 1:21 How the steadfast city
has become a whore! I have filled it with right-ruling; righteousness lodged in
it, but now murderers. – Here, I. The woeful degeneracy of Judah and
Yerushalayim is sadly lamented. See what the royal city had been, a faithful
city, faithful to YAHVEH and the interests of HIS kingdom among men, faithful
to the nation and its public interests.
It was full of
judgment; justice was duly
administered upon the thrones of judgment which were set there, the thrones
of the house of David, Ps. 122:5. Men were generally honest in their
dealings, and abhorred to do an unjust thing. Righteousness lodged in it,
was constantly resident in their palaces and in all their dwellings, not called
in now and then to serve a turn, but at home there.
Neither holy cities nor
royal ones, neither places where religion is professed nor places where
government is administered, are faithful to their trust if religion do not
dwell in them. What it had now become. That beauteous virtuous spouse was now
debauched, and become an adulteress; righteousness no longer dwelt in
Yerushalayim Astrea left the earth); even murderers were unpunished and
lived undisturbed there; nay, the princes themselves were so cruel and
oppressive that they had become no better than murderers; an innocent man might
better guard himself against a troop of banditti or assassins than against a
bench of such judges.
It is a great aggravation
of the wickedness of any family or people that their ancestors were famed for
virtue and probity; and commonly those that degenerate themselves prove to be
the most wicked of all men. That which was originally the best becomes when
corrupted the worst, Lu. 11:26; Eccl. 3:16; See Jer. 22:15–17. The
degeneracy of Yerushalayim is illustrated.
Christianity was also once
a religion of righteousness until 324 when it became a religion of demons,
doing away with the right ruling of YAHVEH and adopt the doctrine of demons.
Isa 1:22 Your silver has become
dross, your wine is mixed with water. - By similitudes: Thy silver has become dross.
This degeneracy of the magistrates, whose character is the reverse of that of
their predecessors, is a great a reproach and injury to the kingdom as the
debasing of their coin would be and the turning of their silver into dross.
Righteous princes and
righteous cities are as silver for the treasury, but unrighteous ones are as
dross for the dunghill. How has the gold become dim! Lam. 4:1. Thy
wine is mixed with water, and so has become flat and sour.
Some understand both
these literally: the wine they sold was adulterated, it was half water; the
money they paid was counterfeit, and so they cheated all they dealt with.
But it is rather to be
taken figuratively: justice was perverted by their princes, and religion and
the Word of YAHVEH were sophisticated by their priests, and made to serve what
turn they pleased. Dross may shine like silver, and the wine that is mixed with
water may retain the color of wine, but neither is worth any thing.
Isa 1:23 Your rulers are
stubborn, and companions of thieves. Everyone loves bribes, and runs after
rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow
reach them. - I
once went to a prayer breaksfast in a downtown Toronto
hotel, to hear a famous Evangelist from the USA
These are who this verse calles a companions of
thieves, one who sell the gospel for a prophet, a Simon Magnus so-to-speak.
They love bribes they preach for money not for the love of the Word.
They retained a show and
pretence of virtue and justice, but had no true sense of either. By some
instances: "Thy princes, that should keep others in their allegiance to
YAHVEH and subjection to HIS law, are themselves rebellious, and set YAHVEH and
HIS Law at defiance.’’ Those that should restrain thieves (proud and rich
oppressors, those worst of robbers, and those that designedly cheat their
creditors, who are no better), are themselves companions of thieves, connive at
them, do as they do, and with greater security and success, because they are
princes, and have power in their hands; they share with the thieves they
protect in their unlawful gain (Ps. 50:18) and cast in their lot among them,
Prov. 1:13, 14.
The profit of their
places is all their aim, to make the best hand they can of them, right or
wrong. They love gifts, and follow after rewards; they set their hearts upon
their salary, the fees and perquisites of their offices, and are greedy of
them, and never think they can get enough; they will do anything, though ever
so contrary to the law and justice, for a gift in secret. Presents and
gratuities will blind their eyes at any time, and make them pervert judgment.
The duty of their places
is none of their care. They ought to protect those that are injured, and take
cognizance of the appeals made to them; why else were they preferred? But they
judge not the fatherless, take no care to guard the orphans, nor does
the cause of the widow come unto them, because the poor widow has no bribe
to give, with which to make way for her and to bring her cause on. Those will
have a great deal to answer for who, when they should be the patrons of the
oppressed, are their greatest oppressors.
Isa 1:24 Therefore the Master
declares, יהוה of hosts, the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, “Ah, I shall be
eased of My adversaries, and I shall be avenged of My enemies. – A resolution is taken up to redress these grievances
: Therefore saith YAHVEH TSEBAOTE, the Mighty One of Yisrael, who has power to make good what
HE says, who has hosts at HIS command for the executing of HIS purposes, and
whose power is engaged for HIS Yisrael, Ah! I will ease me of my
adversaries.
Wicked people, especially
wicked rulers that are cruel and oppressive, are YAH’s enemies, HIS
adversaries, and shall so be accounted and so dealt with. If the holy seed
corrupt themselves, they are the foes of HIS own house.
They are a burden to the
EL of heavens, which is implied in HIS easing HIMSELF of them. The Mighty
One of Yisrael, that can bear any thing, nay, that upholds all things,
complains of his being wearied with men’s iniquities, ch. 43:24. Amos
2:13.
YAHVEH will find out a
time and a way to ease HIMSELF of this burden, by avenging HIMSELF on those
that thus bear hard upon his patience. He here speaks as one triumphing in the
foresight of it: Ah. I will ease me. He will ease the earth of the
burden under which it groans (Rom. 8:21, 22), will ease his own name of
the reproaches with which it is loaded.
He will be eased of his
adversaries, by taking vengeance on his enemies; he will spue them
out of his mouth, and so be eased of them, Rev. 3:16. He speaks with
pleasure of the day of vengeance being in his heart, ch. 63:4.
If YAH’s professing
people conform not to HIS image, as the Holy One of Yisrael verse 4, they shall
feel the weight of HIS hand as the Mighty One of Yisrael: HIS power which was
design for them, shall be against them. In two ways YAHVEH will ease HIMSELF of
this grievance:
Isa 1:25 “And I shall turn My
hand against you, and shall refine your dross as with lye, and shall remove all
your alloy. - By reforming HIS Assembly, and restoring good judges
in the room of those corrupt ones. Though the Messiyanic Assembly has a great
deal of dross in it, yet it shall not be thrown away, but refined: "I
will purely purge away thy dross.
I will amend what is
amiss. Vice and profaneness shall be suppressed and put out of countenance,
oppressors displaced, and deprived of their power to do mischief.’’ When things
are ever so bad YAHVEH can set them to rights, and bring about a complete
reformation; when he begins he will make an end, will take away all the tin.
The reformation of a
people is YAH’s own work, and, if ever it be done, it is he that brings it
about: "I will turn my hand upon thee; I will do that for the
reviving of religion which I did at first for the planting of it.’’ He can do
it easily, with the turn of HIS Hand; but he does it effectually, for what
opposition can stand before the arm of the YAHVEH revealed?
Isa 1:26 “And I shall give back
your judges as at the first, and your counsellors as at the beginning. After
this you shall be called the city of righteousness, a steadfast city.” – He does it by blessing
them with good magistrates and good ministers of state: "I will restore
thy judges as at the first, to put the laws in execution against
evil-doers, and thy counsellors, to transact public affairs, as at
the beginning,’’ either the same persons that had been turned out or others
of the same character.
Isa 1:27 Tsiyon shall be redeemed
with right-ruling, and her returning ones with righteousness. – The Kingdom of the Heavens will be restored by restoring judgment and righteousness among them, by
planting in men’s minds principles of justice and governing their lives by
those principles.
Men may do much by
external restraints; but YAHVEH does it effectually by the influences of HIS
SPIRIT, as a Spirit of judgment, ch. 4:4; 28:6. See Ps. 85:10,
11.
The reformation of a
people will be the redemption of them and their converts, for sin is the worst
captivity, the worst slavery, and the great and eternal redemption is that by
which Yisrael is redeemed from all his iniquities (Ps. 130:8), and the blessed
Redeemer is he that turns away ungodliness from Jacob (Rom. 11:26),
and saves HIS people from their sins, Mt. 1:21.
All the redeemed of
Yahushua shall be converts, and their conversion is their redemption: "Her
converts, or those that return of her (so the margin), shall be
redeemed with righteousness.’’ YAHVEH works deliverance for us by preparing us
for it with judgment and righteousness.
The reviving of a
people’s virtues is the restoring of their honor: Afterwards thou shalt be
called the city of righteousness, the faithful city; that is, First,
"Thou shalt be so;’’ the reforming of the magistracy is a good step
towards the reforming of the city and the country too.
Secondly, "Thou shalt have the praise of being
so;’’ and a greater praise there cannot be to any city than to be called the
city of righteousness, and to retrieve the ancient honor which was lost
when the faithful city became a harlot, verse 21.
Brit Chadasha
John
15:1 - 11
In this portion of
Scripture we have Messiyah discourses concerning the fruit, the fruits of
the Spirit, which His disciples were to bring forth, under the similarity
of a vine.
The doctrine of this
similarity; what notion we ought to have of it. That Yahushua HaMashiach is the
vine, the true vine. It is an instance of the humility of Messiyah that he
is pleased to speak of himself under low and humble comparisons. He that is the
Sun of righteousness, and the bright and morning Star, compares
himself to a vine. The Messiyanic Assembly, which is Messiyah mystical,
is a vine (Ps. 80:8), so is Messiyah who is the Assembly seminal. Messiyah and
His Assembly are therefore set forth.
Joh 15:1 “I am
the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. – He is the vine, planted in the vineyard, and
not a spontaneous product; planted in the earth, for His is the Word made
flesh. The vine has an unsightly unpromising outside; and Messiyah had no
form nor comeliness, Isa. 53:2. The vine is a spreading plant, and Messiyah
will be known as salvation to the ends of the earth.
The fruit of the vine
honors YAHWAH and cheers man (Jdg. 9:13), so does the fruit of Messiyah’s
mediation; it is better than gold, Prov. 8:19. He is the true vine,
as truth is opposed to pretense and counterfeit; he is really a fruitful plant,
a plant of renown. He is not like that wild vine which deceived those who
gathered of it (2 Ki. 4:39), but a true vine.
Unfruitful trees are said
to lie (Hab. 3:17. marg.), but Messiyah is a vine that will not
deceive. Whatever excellency there is in any creature, serviceable to man, it
is but a shadow of that grace which is in Messiyah for His people’s good. He is
that true vine typified by Judah
That believers are branches of this vine, which
supposes that Messiyah is the root of the vine. The root is unseen, and our life
is hid with Messiyah the root bears the tree (Rom. 11:18), diffuses sap to
it, and is all in all to its flourishing and fruitfulness; and in Messiyah are
all supports and supplies. The branches of the vine are many, some on one side
of the house or wall, others on the other side; yet, meeting in the root, are
all but one vine; thus all good Messiyanic , though in place and opinion
distant from each other, yet meet in Messiyah, the center of their unity. Believers,
like the branches of the vine, are weak, and insufficient to stand of
themselves, but as they are borne up. See Eze. 15:2.
Joh 15:2 “Every branch in Me that bears no fruit He takes away. And
every branch that bears fruit He prunes, so that it bears more fruit. – Every
branch should bear fruits, one of the reason why a tree does not bear the right
fruits, is because it need to be prune.
There are thing in the believer lives that must be removed in-order for
the fruit of the Spirit to be manifested.
The doom of the
unfruitful: They are taken away. It is here intimated that there are
many who pass for branches in Messiyah who yet do not bear fruit.
Were they really united to Messiyah by faith, they would bear fruit; but being
only tied to him by the thread of an outward profession, though they seem to be
branches, they will soon be seen to be dry ones.
Unfruitful professors are
unfaithful professors; professors, and no more. It might be read, Every
branch that beareth not fruit in me, and it comes much to one; for those
that do not bear fruit in Messiyah and in his Spirit and grace, are as if they
bore no fruit at all, Hos. 10:1.
It is spoken of here that
they shall be taken away, in justice to them and in kindness to the rest
of the branches. From Him that has not real union with Messiyah and fruit
produced thereby, shall be taken away even that which he seemed to have,
Lu. 8:18. Some think this refers primarily to Judas.
The promise made to the
fruitful: He purgeth them, that they may bring forth more fruit. Further
fruitfulness is the blessed reward of forward fruitfulness. The first blessing
was, Be fruitful; and it is still a great blessing.
Even fruitful branches,
in order to their further fruitfulness, have need of purging or pruning; he
taketh away that which is superfluous and luxuriant, which hinders its
growth and fruitfulness. The best have that in them which is pecant, something
which should be taken away; some notions, passions, or humors, that want
to be purged away, which Messiyah has promised to do by his word, and Spirit,
and providence; and these shall be taken off by degrees in the proper season.
The purging of fruitful
branches, in order to their greater fruitfulness, is the care and work of the
great husbandman, for His own glory.
Joh 15:3 “You are already clean because of the Word which I have
spoken to you. - The benefits which believers have by the doctrine of
Messiyah, the power of which they should labour to exemplify in a fruitful
conversation: Now you are clean.
Their society was clean,
now that Judas was expelled by that word of Messiyah What thou doest, do
quickly; and till they were got clear of him they were not all clean.
The word of Yahushua HaMashiach is a distinguishing word, and separates between
the precious and the vile; it will purify the church of the first-born
in the great dividing day.
They were each of them
clean, that is, sanctified, by the truth of Messiyah; that faith by which they
received the Word of Messiyah purified their hearts, Acts 15:9. The
Spirit of grace by the word refined them from the dross of the world and the
flesh, and purged out of them the leaven of the scribes and Pharisees,
from which, when they saw their inveterate rage and enmity against their
Master, they were now pretty well cleansed, when it is apply it to all
believers.
The word of Messiyah is
spoken to them; there is a cleansing virtue in that word, as it works grace,
and works out corruption. It cleanses as fire cleanses the gold from its dross,
and as physic cleanses the body from its disease.
We then evidence that we
are cleansed by the word when we bring forth fruit unto holiness.
Perhaps here is an allusion to the law concerning vineyards in Canaan; the
fruit of them was as unclean, and uncircumcised, the first three years after it
was planted, and the fourth year it was to be holiness of praise unto
YAHVEH; and then it was clean, Lev. 19:23, 24. The disciples had now been
three years under Messiyah’s instruction; and now you are clean.
Joh 15:4 “Stay in Me, and I stay
in you. As the branch is unable to bear fruit of itself, unless it stays in the
vine, so neither you, unless you stay in Me.
Joh 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who stays in Me,
and I in him, he bears much fruit. Because without Me you are able to do naught! – The importance of our abiding in Yahushua, in order
to our fruitfulness: "You cannot bring forth fruit, except you abide in
me; but, if you do, you bring forth much fruit; for, in short, without
me, or separate from me, you can do nothing.’’ So necessary is it to
our comfort and happiness that we be fruitful, that the best argument to engage
us to abide in Christ is, that otherwise we cannot be fruitful.
Abiding in Messiyah is necessary
in order to do much good. He that is constant in the exercise of faith in
Messiyah and love to Him, that lives upon His promises and is led by His
Spirit, bringeth forth much fruit, He is very serviceable to YAH’s
glory, and His own account in the great day. Union
with Messiyah is a noble principle, productive in all good things. A life of
faith in the Son of YAHVEH is incomparably the most excellent life a man can
live in this world; it is regular and even, pure and heavenly; it is useful and
comfortable, and all that answers the end of life.
It is necessary to our
doing any good. It is not only a means of cultivating and increasing what good
there is already in us, but it is the root and spring of all good things: "Without
me you can do nothing: not only no great thing, heal the sick, or raise
the dead, but nothing.’’
We have as necessary and
constant a dependence upon the grace of the Mediator for all the actions of the
spiritual and divine life as we have upon the providence of the Creator for all
the actions of the natural life; for, as to both, it is in the divine power that
we live, move, and have our being.
Apart from the merit of
Messiyah we can do nothing towards our justification, our deliverance, our
sanctification or even our acceptance; and from the Spirit of Messiyah nothing
towards our sanctification. Without Messiyah we can do nothing aright,
nothing that will be fruit pleasing to YAHVEH or spiritually profitable to
ourselves, 2 Co. 3:5. We depend upon Messiyah,
not only as the vine upon the wall, for support; but, as the branch on the
root, for sap.
Joh 15:6 “If anyone does not stay in Me, he is thrown away as a
branch and dries up. And they gather them and throw them into the fire, and
they are burned. – The
fatal consequences of forsaking Yahushua our Messiyah: If any man abide not
in Me, he is cast forth as a branch.
This is a description of
the fearful state of hypocrites that are not in Messiyah and of
apostates that abide not in Messiyah. They are cast forth as dry and withered
branches, which are plucked off because they cumber the tree. It is just that
those should have no benefit by Messiyah who think they have no need of him;
and that those who reject him should be rejected by him. Those that abide not
in Messiyah shall be abandoned by him; they are left to themselves, to fall
into scandalous sin, and then are justly cast out of the communion of the
faithful.
They are withered, as a
branch broken off from the tree. Those that abide not in Messiyah though they
may flourish awhile in a plausible, at least a passable profession, yet in a
little time wither and come to nothing.
Their parts and gifts
wither; their zeal and devotion wither; their credit and reputation wither;
their hopes and comforts wither, Job 8:11–13. Those that bear no fruit, after
while will bear no leaves. How soon is that fig-tree withered away which
Messiyah has cursed!
Men gather them. Satan’s agents and emissaries pick them up, and
make an easy prey of them. Those that fall off from Messiyah presently fall in
with sinners; and the sheep that wander from Messiyah’s fold, the devil stands
ready to seize them for himself. When the Spirit of YAHVEH had departed from
Saul, an evil spirit possessed him. They cast them into the fire, that
is, they are cast into the fire; and those who seduce them and draw them to sin
do in effect cast them there; for they make them children of hell. Fire
is the fittest place for withered branches, for they are good for nothing else,
Eze. 15:2-4.
They are burned; this follows of course, but it is added very
emphatically, and makes the threatening very terrible. They will not be
consumed in a moment, like thorns under a pot (Eccl. 7:6), they are
burning for ever in a fire, which not only cannot be quenched, but will never
spent itself.
This comes by quitting
Messiyah this is the end of barren trees. Apostates are twice dead (Jude
12), and when it is said, They are cast into the fire and are burned, it
speaks as if they were twice damned. Some apply men’s gathering them to the
ministry of the angels in the great day, when they shall gather out of
Messiyah’s kingdom all things that offend, and shall bundle the tares for
the fire.
Joh 15:7 “If you stay in Me, and My Words stay in you, you shall ask
whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. - The
blessed privilege which those have that abide in Messiyah: If my
words abide in you, you shall ask what you will of my Father in my name, and
it shall be done.
How our union with
Messiyah is maintained, by the word: If you abide in me; He had said
before, and I in you; here Yahushua explains Himself, and My words
abide in you; for it is in the word that Yahushua is set before us, and
offered to us, Rom. 10:6-8.
It is in the Word that we
receive and embrace him; and so where the Word of Torah dwells richly
there Messiyah dwells also. If the word be our constant guide and monitor, if
it be in us as a operating system, then we are abiding in Yahushua, and His
Spirit abide in us.
Joh 15:8 “In
this My Father is esteemed, that you bear much fruit, and you shall be My
taught ones. - How our communion with
Messiyah is maintained, by prayer: You shall ask what you will, and it shall
be done to you. And what can we desire more than to have what we will for
the asking?
Those that abide in
Messiyah Yahushua, as their heart’s delight shall have, through Faith, their
heart’s desire. If we have Messiyah, we shall want nothing that is good for us.
Two things are implied in this promise:
First, that if we abide in Messiyah, and His Word in us,
we shall not ask any thing but what is proper to be done for us. The promises
abiding in us lie ready to be turned into prayers; and the prayers so regulated
cannot but speed.
Secondly, That if we abide in Messiyah Yahushua and His
Torah we shall have such an interest in YAH’s favor and Messiyah’s
mediation that we shall have an answer of peace to all our prayers.
Joh 15:9 “As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Stay
in My love. - Concerning the Father’s
love to him; and concerning this He here tells us. That ABBA Father did love
him: As the Father hath loved me. He loved him as Mediator: This is
my beloved Son. He was the Son of HIS love. He loved Him, and gave all
things into His Hand; and yet so loved the world as to deliver Him
up for us all.
Joh 15:10 “If you guard My commands, you shall stay in My love,1
even as I have guarded My Father’s commands and stay in His love. Footnote: 1See
14:15.- When Messiyah Yahushua was
entering upon His sufferings He comforted Himself with this, that His Father
loved Him. Those whom YAHVEH loves as a Father may despise the hatred of all
the world. That He abode in his Father’s love. He continually loved His Father,
and was beloved of him. Even when he was made sin and a curse for us, and it
pleased YAHVEH to bruise him, yet he abode in his Father’s love. See Ps.
89:33.
Because he continued to
love his Father, he went cheerfully through his sufferings, and therefore his
Father continued to love him. That therefore He abode in our Father’s love because
He kept his Father’s law: I have kept my Father’s commandments, as
Mediator, and so abide in his love. Hereby he showed that he continued
to love His Father, that he went on, and went through, with his undertaking,
and therefore the Father continued to love him.
His soul delighted in
him, because he did not fail, nor was discouraged, Isa. 42:1-4. We
having broken the law of creation, and thereby thrown ourselves out of the love
of YAHVEH; Messiyah Yahushua satisfied for us by obeying the law of redemption,
and so he abode in his love, and restored us to it.
Joh 15:11 “These words I have spoken to you, so that
My joy might be in you, and that your joy might be complete. - That His joy might remain in them. The words are so
placed, in the original, that they may be read either. That my joy in you
may remain. If they bring forth much fruit, and continue in His love, He
will continue to rejoice in them as He had done. Fruitful and faithful
disciples are the joy of Messiyah Yahushua; He rests in His love to
them, Zep. 3:17. As there is a transport of joy in heaven in the conversion of
sinners, so there is a remaining joy in the perseverance of saints.
That my joy, that
is, your joy in Me, may remain. It is the will of Yahushua that His
disciples should constantly and continually rejoice in him, Phil. 4:4. The joy
of the hypocrite is but for a moment, but the joy of those who abide in
Messiyah’s love is a continual feast. The word of EL YAHVEH enduring for ever,
the joys that flow from it, and are founded on it, do so too.
That your joy might be
full; not only that you might be
full of joy, but that your joy in me and in my love may rise higher and higher,
till it come to perfection, when you enter into the joy of your Messiyah.’’
Those and those only that
have Yahushua’s joy remaining in them have their joy full; worldly joys are
empty, soon surfeit but never satisfy. It is only wisdom’s joy that will fill
the soul, Ps. 36:8.
The design of Messiyah in
His world is to fill the joy of His people; see 1 Jn. 1:4. This and the
other He hath said, that our joy might be fuller and fuller, and perfect at
last.
